Miss Mystery
by SweetSherry
Summary: Eri Itou thought she had fallen to her death in the sea below but instead felt the cold hard pavement. Seconds before blacking out, she found herself looking at the eyes of one of her favorite characters from an old anime she watched. Stuck in this world with no way out, just how exactly will she cope with being tied to the Detective Conan universe. Slight AU/Terrible summary
1. Chapter 1

_**The idea of jumping dimensions is rather unheard of. Only spoken about in stories and thought about in our dreams.**_

 _ **It's a notion that is ignored, for the idea of having an alternate lifestyle where things run differently is unsettling.**_

 _ **If it can be done, would the person remain the same? Or would they slowly change to accommodate their alternative reality?**_

* * *

"So is this really how you're going to end it all, Sadie?" Eri Itou questioned as she stared at one of her oldest friends, Sadie Saunders. One that she trusted without question. However, that was extremely stupid of her, the signs of her betrayal were all there.

"Unfortunately yes, I can't exactly have you telling everyone of the information you've come across tonight. It would ruin the organization." Sadie, with hard eyes and a sadistic smile, tightened the hold on her gun.

Eri raised her one good arm in surrender, tossing her firearm away. "Fine, then shoot if you must."

This seemed to make the woman falter for the briefest of moments before she pulled the trigger. This bullet grazed her left shoulder and the next her left leg. Eri felt the stings of pain but did not fall nor did she retaliate, she simply laughed. A laugh filled with despair before she felt one finally hit her abdomen pushing her backward and into the cold abyss beneath her.

Eri did nothing but sink downward and close her eyes, only to feel another pain seconds later. Struggling this time to get up, the young woman realized that she was no longer in a cold ocean but instead on the hard pavement. It was no longer night time and instead of being alone, she was surrounded by civilians, some of which were screaming, other rushing to her aid.

Eri heard a little girl scream, possibly at her predicament. This time, Eri's eyes started to focus as she realized what was wrong. With blood trickling down her head, and a sharp metal pipe embedded in her side, she groaned in agony.

 _"Somebody call an ambulance!"_ Several voices screamed.

" _Get the bike off of her!_ " Another voice said. Several footsteps sounded closer and closer. "Miss are you okay?!"

The voices started to blur together as they approached her. Someone finally taking off whatever headgear she was wearing and allowing her to properly lay on the ground until help arrived.

"Conan-kun. Will she be alright?" A child's voice asked.

The woman didn't get a chance to see who it was nor did she hear 'Conan's' response for she had finally passed out from the pain.

...

Conan and his friends were shocked. They in no way suspected that someone, a woman at that, would risk her life to save the group of children. To make matters worse, she did so on a motorcycle, causing heavy injuries to her body that would perhaps put her to sleep permanently.

"You guys don't run!" Conan shouted, having a terrible feeling in the pits of his stomach.

"Come on Conan, hurry up!" Mitch, a friend of his called out as they ran across the street, not seeing that a car didn't stop and continued speeding towards the group of children. Conan and Haibara watched as their friends stopped in fright, frozen at the sight of the car heading their way. He and a few others screamed in fright until something seemed to crash into the car, pushing it enough so that it would avoid any people, only injuring the one in the car and the person on the motorcycle who seemed to have flipped over and landed on its owner.

Conan and the others rushed forward, some towards the car and others towards the motorcyclist who seemed to stop moving momentarily. Most feared the worst for whoever was underneath all that.

Soon, after the person was discovered to be a woman, she who looked worse for wear, Conan and the others watched as she was hauled away.

"Conan, we should go visit her," Ayumi said, a stray tear still falling down her cheek.

Conan and the others nodded, watching as the ambulance faded into the distance.

...

It was soon revealed that the woman that had saved the children's lives was in a coma. Conan and the others were dishearted but visited as often as they could as the weeks passed by. Soon the weeks turned into months and the kids found themselves not going anymore, believing that the woman would never wake up. The only exception was Conan who continued his frequent visits as he took up an investigation with the FBI. One that involved a certain CIA agent and the Black Syndicate.

Three months had passed before the woman showed any signs of activity. After multiple tests were conducted, the doctors concluded that it was only a matter of time before the woman would wake up. She was healed so the rest was left to her.

"Visiting her again, Cool kid." Jodie Starling stated as she entered the room, spotting the young boy changing the flowers in her vase.

Conan nodded. "Yea, she seems to have no one after all." He took a look at the strawberry blond woman. "She saved the lives of the kids after all."

Akai Shuichi spoke up, seeming to leave his corner of the room. "That's not the only reason is it?"

A glare covered the eyeglasses of the young boy as he glanced back at the two FBI agents. "No, it isn't."

...

It was the rays of sunlight that prompted the young woman to awaken. Next was the constant beeping and finally the voice of a woman. Opening her eyes to discover a white room, Eri looked at the woman in front of her, she who had a gentle smile on her face.

"You're finally awake. Thank goodness, I was beginning to lose hope." The older woman, perhaps around her forties with a motherly aura surrounding her, admitted.

Eri blinked, not quite believing her eyes. "Umm.." As she tried to speak, the nurse gave her a glass of water. Her voice wasn't as smooth as it should be due to lack of use. Attempting a small smile that only came out as a grimace as she tried to sit up, Eri finally spoke up. "Where am I?"

The nurse smile sadly at the young woman. "At the hospital, you've been in a coma for 3 months due to a motorcycle accident. Apparently, you tried to save the lives of a few children and were injured because of it. Do you not remember it?"

Eri shook her head, clutching it in pain as she attempted to remember what was going on. For the last thing she actually did remember was getting shot by someone very dear to her.

"No family I take it?" She questioned rather softly, trying to see if the young woman was having amnesia.

"No, at least none that I know off," She smiled once more at the nurse. "Sorry I think I need a minute to regain my senses, can I use the restroom?"

Nodding, Eri was helped out of bed, taking a few steps to slowly start regaining feeling in her limbs. Now in the restroom and looking at the mirror, Eri yelped softly as she took in her reflection. Standing at 5'7, Eri had strawberry blond hair and sterling gray colored eyes. The slight change to her features gave her a small panic attack that went away as soon as a knock came from the door.

"I brought you a change of clothes, let me know if you need anything else." The nurse informed the woman, also bringing the bag she had on her just in case she needed something.

Thanking the older woman, Eri's smile faded as she looked for her identification card. Not only did the changes on there shock her but the discovery that she lived in Japan instead of the US set her back a few steps.

' _Calm down Eri, Deep breaths, everything is fine. Let's just get through the day before I try anything else.'_

It took her a few minutes but soon Eri was feeling refreshed and ready to think about her situation. Now back in her bed, she noticed the flowers next to her bedside.

Seeing her look at them, her nurse, Hiromi-san smiled brightly. "Your friend and a small little boy around 8 years old visit every so often. They just changed your flowers a few days ago.

' _Friend, boy? Who is she talking about?'_

"They seem like a lovely pair, that American woman as well. They'll be glad to know that you are up. Well... I hope they are. The man looks rather brooding." She admitted with a slight giggle to her tone.

A knock at the door got their attention before a boy came in with another bouquet of flowers in hand.

"Oh, hello there Conan, look who's up."

The young boy froze in his tracks, finally realizing that sleeping beauty had awakened.

"Hello," Eri said, mentally cursing as she looked at the bespectacled boy, finally recognizing who he was. "So you're my secret admirer, Conan-kun."

The boy nodded, putting on a cheery smile. "Glad to see you're finally awake."

The nurse excused herself. "I'll be back shortly with a doctor, we need to catch you up with a few things."

Now alone, Eri looked at the young boy. His smile dropped and his friendly aura was gone. "Eri-san when did you get back to Japan?"

Panicking the slightest, the strawberry blond not really knowing what to say.

Now with a smirk on his face, Conan looked at the women confidently. "You're not Eri." He stated.

The woman didn't have a chance to respond for a blond with bright blue eyes entered the room, introducing herself as Jodie, an English high school teacher. "Conan-kun, it's time for us to leave."

Nodding, Conan switched the flowers in the vase and discarded the old ones. "Eri-san, I'll be back tomorrow."

 _'Conan Edogawa, Jodie Starling, this is ridiculous there is no way I'm in a different world. An anime at that. '_

 _"_ Eri-san!" Her nurse shook her from her thoughts, sighing as she finally got her attention. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Well, that's good. Now I know that with amnesia somethings might be scary but I assure you that with some time you'll regain your memories." She said, reassuring the woman.

"You think so."

"I know so." Grabbing her hand reassuringly before withdrawing it and walking towards her door. "Now, get some sleep. You need to regain your strength for the days to come."

...

Conan and company came back 2 nights later, quiet to not disturb the sleeping woman as he changed the flowers in her vase once more. He hated seeing dying flowers in a patients room. Despite becoming slightly wary of the woman, he couldn't help but feel drawn to her. For some reason, he felt as he could trust her.

"Why is it that you keep going back to her?" Akai questioned the young boy as they roamed the halls after a long day.

The boy shrugged. Choosing not to answer his question he asked one of his own. "Does something seem off about her?"

Akai nodded but didn't give an explanation.

...

The following days were hectic, following a series of food poisoning, and bombs hidden in presents, Conan, and his companions had little time to see the woman and vice versa. Though there were some occasions where Eri spotted the little boy, he never seemed to see her. It wasn't until her last day did Eri finally regain some of her memories.

 _'An anime huh? Never thought I would see that coming.'_ She looked out her window. ' _And detective Conan at that.'_

Venturing out, and taking a short walk around the facility before her departure later that evening, Eri found herself bumping into the said protagonist of the anime she apparently joined. "Oh Conan-kun, come to visit have we?" She teased.

The boy looked startled, not answering as the woman's eyes ventured over to the man beside the boy. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. " She extended her arm out before rethinking it and bowing slightly. "I'm Eri Itou. You are?"

Akai Shuichi narrowed his eyes at her small slip up before nodding in respect to the younger woman. "Just this boy's guardian until his parents come back."

Eri raised an eyebrow. "Is that so. Well, pardon me but I must get going." She bent down slightly to pat the boys head. "Thank you for the flowers. It was very nice of you to continue bringing them. Oh and apparently, I'm suffering from amnesia. Sorry for not remembering who you were." She stood up, "Well I hope I'll be seeing you around. Good luck with your mission, Detective."

She walked swiftly away, her hair swinging behind her back as she left the males in the hallway.

' _Just who exactly was this woman?'_

...

Conan had every intention to visit the young woman only to find her room empty except for the nurse who had been taking care of the girl the past few months. "Oh, Conan-kun, she left just a few minutes ago," She took out a note from her pocket. "She told me to give this to you." She handed him the note.

"Thank you." Conan exclaimed before rushing out the room and over to the 'base', the FBI had established.

"Conan-kun, What's that?" Jodie questioned as he saw him with a card in his hands.

In perfect cursive English, Conan handed the note to Jodie given she knew better English than he and Akai who joined earlier. " _Thank you for the flowers, Conan. It was nice to have visitors despite being in a coma. I hope to repay the favor someday. Give me a call if you ever need help with anything. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon. As for your friends, tell Jodie-san and Akai-san that I'll help with whatever research they need with their predicament. I'm sure they know how to find me easily. Until then. Eri Itou."_

Jodie read and turned the card around to find two separate phone numbers. One with her real name the other with what she assumed was an alias. Ballantine

"Ballantine?" She whispered, mostly to herself.

"It's the alias of the new author in the rising is using. The one who wrote that novel you liked several months ago."

Jodie nodded. "Then, could she be her?"

Conan looked at the man beside him taking interest in the conversation but storing it for later for there was one thing that bugged him. "Ne Akai-san, you never gave her your name did you?"

Jodie looked at both of them questionably before her eyes narrowed at the card. "How did she know?"


	2. Chapter 2

Eri walked home, her belongings in hand. She stopped to look up at the cloudy sky. _'To bad my motorcycle is still in the shop, it won't be ready for another few days._ ' She continued walking, continuously thinking of how lucky she was.

It wasn't until the previous more that Eri regain the majority of her senses and memories. She from the start knew that there was something entirely wrong. One is that some of her memories did not pertain to this world or to this person but of another. One to a woman with darker hair and slightly older and harsher looking, scars covering her body.

A day after having woken up, her nurse allowed the woman to look over her belongs, helping her regain some of her memories. Only then did she discovered her age and occupation as well as her residence and full name.

She might have been a completely different person but some things seemed to remain the same such as her age, 27 years old. However, her occupation was way off.

An author.

' _With several books published, all full of mystery, crime, and romance. I'm well off. Though I'll have to continue with her work. I do need to make a living. At least until I find a way back,... if there's a way back.'_ Eri couldn't help but smirk slightly. The situation was in her favor. Even her housing situation.

Arriving at the front gates of what she would now call home, Eri took out her keys. Taking a quick glance around the neighborhood, she couldn't help but think of the strange way fate played in. The place was fairly large, as was the other houses down the street. Especially seeing as how she's in the same neighborhood as Professor Agasa and Kudo Shinichi's houses. In fact, it's on the other side of Kudo's house.

 _'I guess I'll have to get used to this.'_

Eri pushed inside to explore the place. With its own open library, large kitchen and the well-updated living room she was rather surprised. Next was the dining room, filled to the brim with dust that she surely had to clean within the next few hours. Upstairs were the bedrooms and restrooms not to mention an office of sorts. This of which looked disorganized compared to the rest of the house. _'I assume this was the only thing with a rather messy look. The one place I could let loose.'_

Eri soon found herself in the garage, smiling to herself as she discovered 2 different cars as well as another motorcycle. One she was sure to take out later for a joy ride. For now, she would just resume getting her life together, well the bigger details, the smaller ones could wait.

And so hours later Eri found herself buried in paperwork.

 _'I didn't think she would have a diary.'_ She picked up the book, buried in mounds of books.

 _'A close friend of mine died just a few days ago, her death ruled as a suicide. Akemi Miyano. I can't help but wonder if she would really do that, after all, she did have a sister to look after. She told me so herself.'_ Eri stared at the book in amazement before her mouth formed into a thin line. She closed the book before putting it away, not having it in herself to read any more than she did.

 _'So it looks like Eri Itou of this world was close._ ' She narrowed her eyes in thought. _'But I guess that would explain multiple things I found.'_ Eri looked at the papers she had sorted, all of them containing a variety of information that would come in handy with the months to come.

...

The following week she discovered that the Eri of this world was a bit of a shut-in after the death of her friend. She found this out due to speaking to Professor Agasa one day as she went out for her mail."Oh, Eri-chan. I was wondering where you were. I haven't seen you around in a few months. Come to think of it didn't you leave Japan for a year trip around the world?

"Yes, but on the day I came back I also happened to get into an accident."

The kind man smiled. "That's right, Conan-kun and the kids told me about it, it's nice to know that you still look out for others before yourself. It worries me sometimes, you know."

She blushed in embarrassment, she didn't think she was all that close with the failed inventor. "Yes well, please bear in mind that I have some amnesia so if it seems as though I'm forgetting things it's due to that." She chuckled softly before bidding goodbye to the man, claiming to have a few things she needed to get done.

Agasa couldn't help but look at the young woman weirdly. She never was the politest person. And her sense of style was always rather high end than what she was currently wearing. Perhaps the accident knocked some sense into her. He shrugged before continuing his run to gather some supplies.

...

It was rather boring, her day before she took a look at the date. Eri's eyes widen slightly as she remembered what was to come in the following days. She chuckled at the thought of Conan's and Akai's plan. Just then, her personal phone started ringing, an unknown caller.

"Hello?" She asked rather carefree.

A boy's voice came in from the other end. "Eri-nee-chan?"

"Ah, Conan-kun?" She questioned but knew the answer.

"Hai!" His voice was more childlike than ever. One would never guess that he was really a teenage boy.

"Is something the matter?"

His tone turned slightly serious, but there was still a childish tone to it. "Actually, I have a small favor to ask of you. Do you know anything about disguises?"

Eri couldn't help but give her phone a questionable look.

...

Within the next few hours, Eri found herself meeting Conan, his mother, and Akai at a hotel not too far from her home.

"When I said you could ask for anything, I didn't think you'd take me seriously," She told Conan once she entered the room.

Conan took another glance at her before gesturing towards her bag in hand. "Did you bring it?"

"What a pushy boy." She muttered underneath her breath as she reached into her bag, pulling out a device the professor delivered to her beforehand. "Here," She placed the voice changer in his hand. She looked at the FBI agent standing at the other side of the room, conversing with the boy's mother.

"Ne Oba-san," He shrunk back as Yukiko turned around to give her son a glare, "Eh, Onee-san, I'll be leaving now." He turned back around to look at the Strawberry Blond girl. "They'll fill you in."

Yukiko escorted her son to the door, sharing a few words with him before he left leaving Eri alone with Akai. She glanced at the man before subtly checking her surroundings, though the man caught on to what she was doing.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that does that." The man's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

She looked towards the older man. "And he speaks." She held a small smile.

He smirked slightly. "How exactly did you know my name?" He questioned.

"You have your secrets and I have mine. You can't know anything unless you investigate." She said hesitantly, turning away from him and towards the approaching woman.

Kudo's mother, smiling her usual smile, greeting the other woman in the room. "Eri-chan it's so good to see you. Last time we met you were still in high school. I would love to catch up with you but unfortunately, I'm a little short on time." She was glancing at her watch as she said this. Her smile never leaving her face. "Well, Conan-kun tells me you know what we are doing so let's get straight to work."

Eri smiled oddly at her carefree attitude. _'Well, I suppose that's where your son got it from._ "Nice to see you too."

...

The end of the night arrived quicker than the two anticipated leaving the pair alone shortly after Yukiko realized her plane was going to take off rather soon, rushing herself out the door. "It was nice meeting you Eri-chan." She said rather happily. She held onto the girl's hands before parting goodbye.

"It was nice meeting you as well Yukiko-san. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon." Eri walked Yukiko towards the hotel elevators.

"Take care of him." She told the younger woman. Eri gave her a confused glance. "Shinichi, take care of my boy."

Eri couldn't help but think of how she knew but she decided not to question. "Of course, I'll be seeing you around Yukiko-san."

She smiled at the girl one last time before finally leaving. Eri glanced at the place she once stood before smiling to herself. She walked back to the room to find Akai looking at the voice changer device curiously.

"I don't know how the professor manages to come up with these things." She told him, coming up beside the man. He looked up at her, not really knowing what to say. "Well, your disguise is almost complete, you just need to make sure you cover it up well and wear it at all times." She brought her arms against her chest. "I can't believe he thought of things to this extent."

Akai looked at her curiously. "Do you think he is right?"

Eri nodded. "Yes, I do." She gave him a look. "But I'm not telling you my reasoning." She saw the way his lips turned into a frown but she offered him a smirk.

"You seem to know things one shouldn't know." He admitted.

She nodded. "Is that so?"

Silence engulfed them once more as she looked around the room and he looked at his disguise and a completely new wardrobe. "Are you hungry?" She finally asked.

And so minutes later, Eri found herself riding her bike back to her house with the FBI agent awkwardly holding her from behind. She parked her bike in her garage before taking her helmet and the spare one from the man, putting them away. She turned back to look at the man who kept his eyes on her cars. "You'll be needing one of these later." She told him. "You can use one of these if you ever need to. "

Akai merely nodded before following the woman inside. "Do you know how to cook?" She asked him as she took a few ingredients out of her fridge.

At this Akai looked at the raw food in question. "A little."

She sighed. _'I knew that Yukiko was supposed to teach him behind the scenes but perhaps I could begin with teaching him Western foods.'_ She chuckled softly, "Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt to teach you."

Akai was very silent, only offering the woman a few words as she began teaching him. The man knew the basics but when it came to seasoning and timing, he was terrible. Almost dousing the small meats with a bit too much salt, Eri couldn't help but wonder how he got by.

Once the food was ready, a cup of wine at hand, Eri once again spoke. "I assume due to the call, both Conan and yourself understood what I meant."

"Ballantine... Did you use that name because it is a range of Scotch Whiskies? Meaning that you have a range of talents and knowledge..." He shrugged, not letting her answer the question as he took another bite out of his food. "Well anyway, there's no use in trying to hide from someone so willing to help the boy and FBI."

Eri narrowed her eyes.

Without realizing, she had been staring at the man. Something he took quick noticed of. He leaned across the table before flicking the girl in the head. "You shouldn't zone out like that. One might know what your thoughts are."

Eri felt the place he flicked. "That doesn't mean you should flick me. " She couldn't help but stare at the man once again. _'He's completely different from the man they portrayed in the anime._ ' She thought as she caught sight of his miniature smile.

"What exactly are you hiding?" He couldn't help but blurt out as he saw her looking at him. Her knowing gaze, something he didn't like.

"Everything." She said plainly and immediately, placing her hand down on her lap. Eri had no intention of spilling the beans, nor getting involved as much as she wanted to but it wouldn't hurt to tease a bit. Life was a twisted game and with only one life, she intended to play it as safe as she could.

"Who are you?" He said quickly after.

This time Eri hesitated to answer. The past few days she had been debating on whether or not telling someone of this world who she was but given some circumstances, she didn't want to tell them due to not changing the timeline. She rather exist in a world she knew of, than one she knew nothing about.

"Someone that does not belong in your world. " She said after some internal debate.

He didn't push anymore and she didn't elaborate any further. In the end, the pair found themselves with a drink of bourbon in their hands, both up on her balcony enjoying the night breeze and stars.

"Earlier you said that you didn't belong in this world." He had caught her attention. "Do you mean it in a literal meaning?"

She nodded hesitantly but didn't say anything nor did he. Instead, he placed a cigarette on his lips to light it. She sighed and shook her head. "You look rather relax. Especially with what I just told you. Or rather with what I didn't. "

"I won't ask you to reveal your secrets. We all have a few we'd wish to hide. Besides, you'll tell me." He said with a rather smug smirk. "Eventually."

...

On some of the following days, Akai would come to her place or she to his where they would resume their cooking lessons and Eri would ask him to put on his disguise. Better to get some practice in now so that the man wouldn't struggle when the plan was set in motion. So several days later, Eri found herself typing up a document with Akai preparing the day's dinner in front of her.

Even after being thrown into this reality, Eri found herself quickly adjusting.

After having a call with one of her editors, she was pressured into releasing another series seeing as how the other one ended on such a sad note. Eri found herself more focused on her work than Akai's progress. When said man tried his own cooking and flinched a little when he tasted a bit too much salt, he looked over to see the woman focused on her work. Curiously, he went around to stand behind her.

She failed to see Akai looking over her shoulder. "What are you doing?" He asked his lips near her ear.

Eri slightly jumped but turned to look at the man. She sighed, rubbing a bit at her temples. "My job. I'm an author, which I'm sure you knew. One of which is in high demand ever since Yusaku Kudo began writing his screenplay, taking a break from his regular writing. I have to have the first draft finished by the end of the month to meet deadlines. "

Akai read a bit of her work as she looked back at the screen. "It's about cold cases." His voice barely containing the minor shock he had.

Eri nodded. "Yea, not many write about the unsolved mysteries. I figured I give it a try. "

Akai couldn't help but smile at that. "I'm finished, mind coming to try it?"

Eri saved her work before getting up to try the stew he'd been cooking for the past few hours. She chuckled slightly. Though she gave him the exact measurements, she couldn't help but noticed he went a bit over with the salt and he forgot to let the vegetables cook longer. "It's not that bad, well compared to the first time you cooked for me without any help." She smiled at him.

He frowned at the comment.

"But, I'll let it cook a bit longer and give me a second to dilute the taste of salt." She said, heading over to her fridge. "If you add too much salt to a certain food, always remember that you can either add sugar or lemon juice." She said pulling out said products. "In this case, just a pinch of sugar and a couple of drops of lemon juice."

Akai watched as the woman continued finishing off the dish. She held out the spoon for him to try the meal they'd been preparing. He was a bit uncomfortable bending down slightly but the feeling went away as he tried the dish. "How much did you put?"

Eri shrugged. "Just enough to eliminate the saltiness." She was already walking away, grabbing some bowls to serve the food before he could say anything else. "Though it might taste a bit sweet, the taste of the rice that cooked along with it will eliminate it. Most of it will be absorbed by the potato or carrot.

Akai just smiled slightly more as the woman served the food, both of them enjoying the meal before he had to rush off once more.

"Akai-san." She called out to him slightly.

The man turned around.

"Be careful." She said hesitantly.

Akai simply smirked, giving her a small nod before driving off.

Eri closed her door, sliding towards the ground before grabbing hold of her head in pain. She sat there for a while before standing up and heading towards her kitchen. She paused momentarily as she saw her gun out of place, a note attached.

 _'Care to explain this at another time?'_


	3. Chapter 3

Friday the 13th ended with a rather sad note to the members in the FBI. For Eri, it ended with a sad smile as she drank out of her glass filled with Rye Whiskey. She shook her head as she dumped the drink out and instead poured herself a shot a Gin.

 _'Guess Akai won't be coming by anytime soon.'_ She smirked slightly as she saw the news, turning it off as she had her fill of mindless speculations. ' _Such a shame, I was looking forward to explaining what the gun was about.'_ Eri eyed the note Akai left on his last visit, studying his writing a bit longer.

"Now, what exactly will the future hold for me." She said out loud.

* * *

Eri was taking a short jog around the neighborhood. Rather early seeing as how the sun was barely starting to come up. Though upon further noticed, she realized it wasn't early enough for a familiar girl with short hair, feeding one of the stray cats that wandered around the neighborhood. _'Perhaps I should get a pet.'_ She thought, too distracted to notice the small uplift on the road, Eri found herself yelping in pain as she fell. The sound startling the young scientist who rushed towards the sound.

The girl who would soon introduce herself as Haibara Ai looked at the woman questionably before walking towards her. "Are you okay miss?"

Eri looked up at the 7-year-old girl. "Yea just fell that's all. I'm too clumsy you see." She lifted her scrapped hands to view. "I'll just go inside and clean this up quickly, no need to worry little girl."

Haibara, though a bit wary of the unknown woman seemed to find herself very comfortable around her. "Can you wrap them on your own?" She questioned seeing a bit of blood start to trickle from the palm of both her hands. Her left hand looking a lot worse than her right.

Eri looked down at her hands. "Er... Maybe, but I'll manage." She offered the girl a smile. "Thank you for your help, I'll be seeing you around little girl."

Eri had every intention to leave the poor girl, still not sure if she should interact with the members of the DC universe. Especially since she was around a certain FBI agent for too long. However, the action was stopped when Haibara took hold of Eri's sweatpants, pulling her back.

When Eri turned around to get a look as to what stopped her, she was surprised to see Haibara pulling her back. Haibara also seemed rather surprised by her actions. "Ah," She retracted her arm quickly. "I could help you if you'd like."

Eri smiled at the girl. "Sure," She gestured to her house. "Let's go to my place, I also need to get out of these clothes." She gestured to the dirt covered clothes.

Haibara, a bit reluctant, joined the elder girl.

...

"Sorry to trouble you with this," Eri told the 7-year-old.

Haibara merely shook her head as she finished wrapping both hands. "Since the bandages are waterproof, it wouldn't be so bad if you wet them but please refrain from using your hands much. You don't want to put too much pressure on them. After all, you did fall on them pretty badly."

Eri couldn't help but smile at the girl. "Thank You." She saw the girl nod her head. "Ah, that's right I never really introduced myself. I'm Eri Itou. You're Haibara Ai right?"

Eri looked at the girl a bit longer, happy to see the girl that Akemi talked so much about the times they were together was actually a nice young woman. Well her and her counterpart.

Haibara narrowed her eyes at the female. "Yes." She was able to recall the name being mentioned by her friend Conan, who told her to watch out for her. Though she couldn't think of anything wrong with her other than Conan's suspicions.

"Hmm, I thought so. You're exactly like Professor Agasa described." Eri said. Though it wasn't a lie. The professor did mention a girl around Conan's age he just didn't say her name.

Haibara nodded with a small smile. "You know the Professor?"

Eri nodded. "Hmm, Just a bit. Not much like the other neighbors but fairly enough to have a pleasant conversation with the man. He is very helpful after all."

Haibara could only nod.

"It's getting late, don't you have school today?" Eri couldn't help but question the young girl as she took a glance at her calendar.

Haibara's eyes widen, glancing at the time before rushing out the door.

Eri couldn't help but chuckle. "Have a good day at school Haibara-chan!" She only saw the girl wave in return.

Eri smiled to herself as she prepared for the day.

...

"I finally met that woman you were talking about. Eri Itou." Haibara told the shrunken detective.

Conan glanced at her in surprise. "You did where?"

Haibara kept a straight face. "Right in front of your house."

"Eh?!"

She smiled at the boy. "She seems really nice, and rather clumsy." She looked at him. "Are you sure you weren't mistaken? Nothing seems off about her."

Conan looked down. "Well, she is pretty mysterious. As Kudo Shinichi, I spoke with her a few times but she always seemed withdrawn. She left Japan a while ago and from what I know she seems to have come back as a different person. I just have a weird feeling about her." Conan smirked a bit. "But she does seem like she'll be a great help. She's probably not a bad person but she's still a bit suspicious."

"Well, what do you know about her?"

"Just her name, age, and occupation. She didn't have much on her that would identify her. Though she must have done something rather dangerous before." He told her.

"How so?" Haibara inquired.

"Well, the shirt she was wearing the last time I saw her dipped a bit down when she was speaking with me. I ended up catching sight of what looked like an old bullet wound on her right shoulder."

When he didn't hear a response from the shrunken female, Conan looked beside him only to jump back in fright. "You looked at her chest!?" Haibara exclaimed. "Pervert."

After Haibara's little episode, Conan smirked widely. "Oi Haibara, don't you think we should visit Eri-san?" Though the question was a statement instead.

Later that afternoon, Eri found herself answering the door to find Conan and Haibara. The boy standing there with a sheepish grin and the girl merely looking at the ground with her arms folded against her chest. "Conan-kun, Haibara-chan?"

"Hello. Eri-san!" Conan cheerfully said.

Eri brought her arms closer to herself. Not quite liking the way Conan was looking at her, in complete suspicion. "What brings you two by?"

Conan's face went serious. "Mind if we come in?"

Eri glance at both children before nodding. "Of course," she let them enter, bringing out a pair of slippers to put on before walking into her house. "Would you guys like any snacks? I just came back from shopping, I'm sure you guys just got out of school as well." She told them as she took notice of the time.

Conan simply asked for juice as Haibara asked for a simple glass of water. "Ah, please do join me in the kitchen, I was just in the middle of putting things away and starting lunch for myself. "

"Lunch? Isn't it a bit too late for that."

Eri turned back to look at the young girl rather sheepishly. "Yea, I lost track of time and when I wanted to eat something earlier, I realized I was running low on food." She saw the glare the girl was giving her. "But I do try my best to eat on schedule. As for right now, I was just thinking about grilling some chicken and adding it to a salad with a bit of dressing." She seemed to stop babbling as she remembered the look Conan had on his face. "Oh sorry, I was rambling. What was it that you two needed to discuss with me?"

Conan's stare was intense but Eri's carefree face was rather gone now and she looked serious as well. "Ballantine." Eri nodded at the name. "You're not with them, are you?"

Eri's straight line lifted upwards. "No, I'm not. It's just an Alias I use for my job. I'm an author, I'm sure you know that and instead of revealing to the world who I actually am, I figured why not that. Ballantine happens to carry a range of Scotch whiskeys i like to drink, I figured, it'd be something easy to remember instead of a completely new name." She said.

Haibara said nothing as she let the chibi detective do the interrogation as she set forth to study the interior of the woman's house, well at least from her standpoint.

Eri took a glance at the girl before looking back at Conan, "But I do suppose you don't believe me all to well. However, I can assure you, I am neither on your side nor theirs."

Conan gave her a weird glance. One that Eri understood all too well.

"I have nothing to gain from joining their side. Though the same goes for your side. Nothing benefits me." Eri moved towards her leftover groceries, beginning to pull out the utensils she needed to begin her salad. Taking out a rather sharp knife, she began slicing thin squares off a chicken breast. "I'm merely in it for the amusement." She finished but the statement wasn't entirely true. The Eri Itou of this world was set on finding out who killed her friend. She was so close as well, sadly they had been switched. However, she herself had no intention of completing that task for she already knew the answer.

Conan's eyes took a perceptive gaze on her hands. She was clearly skilled with the knife. "This isn't a game." He finally had enough with her words.

Eri took out a few spices from her cabinets. "No that's exactly what it is. Human nature allowed it to be so the moment they came up with the brilliant idea of who lives and who dies." She turned back around to the two shrunken teenagers. "Jimmy Kudo, shrunken after witnessing an exchange between Gin and Vodka with a client of theirs." Eri saw the way both children's eyes widen. "Shiho Miyano, the scientist who developed the same drug she used on herself and permitted the organization to use on others. " She saw them freeze. "Both of you, are part of the game already. It's just a matter of time on whether you win or lose."

By then Eri had her pan out to start frying the chicken she prepared. She was almost done with preparing her lunch when Haibara yelled. Something that seemed out of character. But then again, everyone from whom she'd seen so far was out of character. "Who are you?" The little girl demanded.

And like Eri told Akai, "I am someone that does not belong in your world."

Both Haibara and Conan looked at her with confusing gazes. Only snapping out of it when the doorbell of Eri's house rang. Eri looked towards her door and then towards the children. "I wasn't expecting anyone. Were you?"

Conan's eyes darted between the woman and Haibara. "No." The boy watched the woman with calculative eyes and Eri nodded before reaching under the table where she pulled out a gun from a drawer, walking rather confidently towards the door. With the gun in her right hand, finger on the safety trigger should she need it. She opened the door rather slowly only to see 3 children peering up at her.

Haibara who watched the woman suddenly felt the same presence she had always felt when a member of the organization was near. She shook in fear, hiding behind Conan before the feeling left as she opened the door to find kids outside.

"Onee-san is Conan-kun and Haibara-san here?" A rather large boy asked.

Eri smiled when she recognized the trio. "Yea. I was just speaking with them." She turned around to see the pair of children come up behind her. Eri then tucked the gun in the hem of her pants, covering it with the shirt she was wearing. "I'm guessing you three came looking for them for a reason."

The rather skinny kid, taller than Conan spoke up. "Yea, we're going to the park to play some soccer."

Eri chuckled, allowing the children to exit her house before she straightened up and rushed back inside to turn the stove off, remembering that she left it on with her chicken grilling. Smelling the food, Genta couldn't help but complain about his stomach rumbling. Eri returned just in time to see Ayumi scolding the boy.

"Well if you guys are hungry, you're welcome to join me for lunch." She said, see the faces of embarrassment from the young children who all had their stomachs rumbling.

"No, we wouldn't want to intrude," Mitsuhiko said.

"No it's fine, Call me selfish but I do get rather lonely time to time eating on my own. I'd love to have some company." She paused in thought. "Though you might have to wait a bit so I can make enough for you all. You can either wait in my library or play in the backyard. It has enough space to play soccer. I think I have some cones you can use as your goalie posts." She paused seeing the looks of appreciation on 3 of the children's faces.

She smiled kindly at them as she let them all inside. After a few short introductions and an explanation as to why they came knocking on her specific door, Conan and the other 2 boys found themselves in her library looking at the variety of books she held. "You guys are welcome to keep any book of your liking." She told them when she saw how invested they were in finding a book of their desire. Ayumi joined shortly after grabbing a quick drink, bringing some juice to the others as well. Haibara chose to stay with the elder girl. Only sitting on a stool watching the girl set at work to make a meal for the 6 of them. Her own meal wrapped and put away for a later time.

Haibara realized that the older woman had a pair of glasses on. She guessed she was wearing contacts in the morning. The glare on her glasses didn't allow her to see where exactly Eri was keeping her focus on. "I see you took your bandages off." She said rather slowly.

Eri nodded. "Like I said. It was just a small scrape, the blood only made it seem like it was big." Eri lifted her left-hand closer to her face. "Besides, I can't even feel the pain if I apply pressure."

Haibara said nothing as she watched the woman returned to add a bit of Olive oil to the pan.

"I wasn't lying earlier." Eri finally spoke up. She placed the cut up meat into the pan. "I'm neither on your side or theirs. I'm simply in it for some amusement." She turned to see that Haibara had clutched her fists. "Oh but don't get me wrong." She offered her a smile. "I'm rooting for your side. "

And that bit was true. Like she stated earlier, she wasn't playing if it didn't benefit her and if it did, it was more likely that she was going to benefit Conan's side than the Black Organization. Though the Eri Itou of this world had her own intentions, she decided best to let things run their course and at the moment, she found herself liking the kids and their associates, rather more than she probably would with members of the black organization.

"The food's ready!" She called out.

...

The kids had their fill and played their games as the elder of the group observed. She didn't join but she did make a few comments here and there as she resumed her work, that of which just needed a final chapter before she sent it to her editor who gladly gave her an extension after learning about her accident.

"Thank you so much for having us over Eri-nee-san!" The 3 children exclaimed as they were preparing to leave for the day.

Eri shook her head. "Thank you all for coming. It was nice to have some company." She took note of the books the children had chosen, her eyes landing on a book that Ayumi had. "Do you guys like animals?"

The children nodded, curiously looking at what the woman had to say. "Well, I was going to head out and get a pet tomorrow, it's the weekend and I was wondering if you'd like to join me." She said after some thought.

The children nodded excitedly as the other 2 smiled at the woman.

"Well then, how about you guys stop by for breakfast and we can head on there. It'll be my treat as well " She paused. "If it's okay with your parents."

Ayumi spoke up excitedly. "You can call my mom and ask her. She'll say yes." That's when the children gave her their parent's phone numbers and asked for hers as well. "Just wait for their call onee-san," Mitsuhiko told her before he left with the others, only Conan and Haibara staying behind.

"Shouldn't the both of you get going as well." She told the children after they helped her set her house back in order.

Haibara shrugged before she looked at Conan. "Mouri-san wouldn't be too happy with you arriving home late."

Conan nodded in resignation as the woman walked over to her garage. "I'll drive you home, Haibara, you're welcome to stay while I return, I'm sure you would like to speak with me."

The girl shook her head. "No thank you. We could speak some other time, I have to get back to the Professor."

Haibara left shortly after with some leftover to take to the professor who surely hadn't eaten. Turning back to the boy that remained, Eri gestured to her variety of transportation. "So what would you like to take?"


	4. Chapter 4

Dropping off the shrunken detective, Eri headed home for a much-awaited bath, hoping that the next's day's events would be easy going as today's were.

 _'I'm home,'_ she thought as she parked her bike in her garage and headed upstairs. Quickly gathering her clothes and discarding them away, she took off the day's dirt in a quick shower before finally resting in a bath. Eri sighed, only hearing the background music she seemed to always play to make up for the lack of noise that constantly appeared to engulf her home. Her eyes closed in content, wondering about the pile of Diaries she found within the residence, all of which belong to the original Eri Itou of this world. She would have never guessed that the woman was so suspicious of everything that she would begin to write daily.

The first entries begin when the girl was first 10, each in minimal detail finally leading up to 6 months ago when she stopped writing, apparently out of pages in the final book. Eri couldn't help but wonder why. Though she rather not speculate on it too much, instead she just absorbed the information, careful in remembering certain details that would be beneficial for later dates.

Eri stood from the bath, wrapping her body in a fluffy blue towel before heading over to the mirror to get a look at her appearance. _'strawberry blond hair, and grey-like eyes. Age 27, occupation writer, graduated 4 years ago from university, best friends with Akemi Miyano since our last year of high school. My family all deceased about 8 years ago in a fire.'_ Eri sighed as she pulled on her nightwear. _'I guess that's the basics of what I need to remember. '_ She exited the bathroom, heading over to her kitchen to get one last drink for the night before turning in.

 _'Though this change is rather big..'_ Eri thought before retreating to her room for the night. _'I just want to know why I'm here, and how I got here.'_

 _..._

The following morning, Eri rushed to the store and back, hoping she hadn't forgotten anything she needed since the kids were coming within the next hour. Yet as the woman got started on breakfast, Eri was surprised to see Conan and Haibara standing at her front step. Both of them having small smiles on their faces. "Oh, hey guys didn't think you'd come by so early."

Haibara shrugged, looking over to Conan. "Well, we did come early to ask you a few things."

She turned around to look at the boy. "Such as?"

"Who you are?" No hesitation in their voices.

Eri turned back around to where she was currently before, preparing to finish off the last of the food. "Just someone whos been living next door for the past 8 years." She told the boy.

Conan looked at her curiously, his eyes narrowing in thought. "You seem completely different since the last time I saw you."

Eri looked down in thought. "I've been traveling and on those travels, I found something out, I've changed who I am for the better, or so I hope."

"Then why stay here?" Haibara inquired.

"It's the residence my grandparents left me after they passed away along with my mother and father 8 years ago. I have no desire to abandon it, not when I grew up here." She looked at Conan," I was fairly close to Ran and her father to. I just never like you since your ego was so big." Her voice was rather cold and distant but the sad smile on her face suggested her other thoughts.

Conan and Haibara both realized they landed on a touchy subject. Both stayed silent as they waited for the Strawberry-blond to say anything else but she didn't, at least not until the doorbell rang once more.

In truth, Eri had been silent on the matter frankly because she didn't want to say something out of line, something that would hint that she wasn't exactly the right person. However, the silence ended several minutes later. With the sound of her doorbell ringing once more, Eri called to Conan. "Do you mind letting them in?"

The trio of children arrived together, all of them extremely happy to have a western style breakfast. "Hello, Eri-nee-chan!" They greeted as they were all instructed to sit down.

"Hey, kids. Wash up and sit down, I'm just bringing the last of everything. We can eat up and head out soon." She offered them a thin smile as she strained to bring both trays of food.

Her smile, such a warm smile as she saw the kids dig in. It was a nice change of pace, cooking for others. With Akai gone, Eri didn't have much interaction with others unless it was the cashier at the grocery store or her editor who she often chatted with to go over her progress. Eri couldn't help but miss the human contact she had in her real world. She certainly missed the conflicts her job offered her.

"Ne Eri-nee-chan?" Genta called out to the woman who was sipping her tea contently, separating her from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You're not from Japan right?"

Both Mitch and Ayumi scolded him but the chuckling of the older female stopped the pair. "No, I'm not. I was born in Europe before my family moved to America, I remained there for the first 10 years of my life before moving to Japan. I've stayed here ever since." Eri placed her teacup down.

Ayumi looked at the woman with sad eyes. "Don't you ever miss home?"

"No, not really. There are a few things I miss but I prefer Japan. It's a wonderful country after all."

The kids nodded in surprise before turning back to their meal. Eri couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. She wasn't necessarily lying but the real her was originally an American, only coming to Japan for vacation from time to time. She took another glance at the 3 children who all talked excitedly while eating. _'How nice it must be, to be naive and young. Clueless to the world around.'_

...

Their trip lasted fairly long as they ventured into the building, mostly because the kids kept wandering around, looking at the different pets the place had to offer. Some of them wandered over to the puppies, others with the cats. Mitch was the only one to take a different route and ended up with a small hamster in his grasp. It wasn't till after an hour or so that Eri decided to step in and decide. At first, Eri decided on a puppy, a male one at that but as her eyes shifted over to Haibara, she decided to get a kitten as well.

Eri looked up at the worker who allowed her to take hold of a small golden retriever. "I'd like to get him please." She then pointed over to where Haibara was petting a black kitten. "And the kitten the brown haired girl has in her hands."

The worker nodded heading off to leave Eri behind as she continued to observe the pup in hands, and the green-eyed, black kitten Haibara had taken a liking to.

...

Eri looked over with a soft smile at Haibara and Shadow, the kitten, who sat silently up front, ignoring the others who played with the pup, Asuma, in the back seats of her car. Asuma jumped around the laps of Conan and the other 3 children; she chuckled nervously before turning her eyes back on the road.

Though upon arriving back to her home, Eri struggled with the bags of food in hand. The kids all ran forward with the pets, entering her home, seemingly forgetting that they promised the woman to help her bring in the things she had obtained for the pup and kitten. She groaned before looking at all the supplies she bought still in her trunk. Haibara walked calmly towards her side, Conan, and Shadow in tow. "Would you like any help?"

"No it's fine," The cat food almost fell out of her grasp as she turned around. "You guys go inside, make sure they don't run around the house too much." She struggled to uplift the bag to its rightful position. "I got it."

The two kids looked at her unconvincingly before they sighed, retreating inside the house where they would spend the remainder of the day.

...

Eri was reading over some research material for her book when she received a phone call, startling her and her other two roommates. One in particular who shot her an annoyed glare as she continued to let the phone ring. Shooing Shadow away from her phone, Eri held it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she didn't recognize the number.

"Eri-san."

"Oh Haibara, is something the matter?" She looked at her pets who seemed to hear the voice from the other end and looked up at her in wonder.

"We were wondering if you were free tomorrow?" Her voice was rather plain.

Eri looked at her work for a bit. "Hmm, yea I am." _'If I rush through this.'_ "Any reason as to why?"

"The kids wanted to know if you were able to accompany us to a friends house." She paused momentarily "And they wanted you to bring the puppy and Shadow along."

She nodded but spoke when she realized she wouldn't be able to see her. "Yea, of course, any particular place?"

"We're going over to a classmates house. I'll come to get you in the morning." She paused. "Well then bye."

Eri looked at her phone in question before sighing at the deadline. _'That girl...'_

Asuma barked. "What's up boy?" She asked the pup who attempted to jump in her lap. The pup settled into the woman's lap. "Hmm, I suppose it is time for us to turn in. It is rather late." She mumbled, getting a look at the time however she rethought of it when she saw the remaining work she had. _'Though I suppose I could spare another hour or so.'_

 _..._

Eri awoke rather late, rushing to get ready as she heard her doorbell ring. With disheveled hair, Eri revealed her messy state to the girl. "Sorry, Haibara-chan, give me a few moments, I'll be ready soon. In the meantime do you mind getting their leashes?" She gestured to the puppy who was running around, playfully attacking the kitten.

"Yea, just hurry up."

Quickly, Eri gathered her things together, opting for some sneakers rather than her usual heeled boots seeing as how she was going to be walking and with a rather hyper pup no less. "Right I'm ready. So Where will we be going?"

And so Eri found herself struggling to restrain Asuma as she looked at the burnt down building in front of her. _'huh, so it's this case.'_ Her eyes wandered over to the police cars, hoping to catch a glance of the suspects. _'In that case, he should be here.'_ Her eyes scanned the men as she hoped to spot the FBI agent in disguise.

"Eri-nee-san!" Mitch called out to her worriedly.

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to zone out." She was approached by Yuminaga-keibu. "And who are you?"

Eri stuck out her hand but then bowed realizing her mistake. "Oh, I'm Eri Itou. The kids invited me." The man nodded before turning back. "Well then, the boy named Kaito is safe. He had some minor burns but he was rescued by a firefighter and is currently recovering in the hospital right now."

The children sighed in relief as did Eri. Conan, as usual, sought out the details of the case. Seeing as how she knew the boy wouldn't have much trouble with the case, Eri stood back behind the children and detective, rather taken a liking to watching everything in person rather than through a computer screen. She kept hold of her pup, well that is until Asuma rushed forward just as the three suspects were introduced to the kids. "Asuma!" She yelled as she rushed forward. The pup started growling at Makabe Ginya before Eri called his name once more. Her tone scolding. "I'm so sorry, I've never seen him behave this way." She said as she picked up the pup.

The man in question nodded, accepting her apologies allowing her to back away, however, missing the slight smirk on her face. One that Conan and Okiya Subaru, another one of the suspects, noticed.

Eri retreated towards the back once again. Her eyes fell on Haibara who started hiding from the suspects before the elder woman decided to turn away. Feeling eyes on her, Eri turned to see none other than Okiya Subaru looking at her. In return, the woman waved slightly, catching him off-guard. He turned away, focusing on the questioning of their whereabouts.

"I was out driving alone at night, I'm working on my dissertation, and whenever I get stuck I go for a drive for a change of scene. My car's in a parking lot down the street do you want to check it?" Subaru Okiya said, giving his alibi as it was his turn to be questioned.

 _'Huh, I wonder how he got the car so quick. Must be a perk of being part of the FBI.'_ Eri thought as she listened in to the conversation.

"Hmm, then would you say your favorite color is green?" The detective asked once he found out the man's new found hobby.

Eri couldn't help but watch the man. _'I always thought his answer was a dead give away, and also fairly deep compared to the other suspects.'_ "No.. If I had to choose a color, it'd be black, the darkness hides my psyche from the outside world... but I dislike it for the same reason."

Eri continued listening in, a bit in awe as she saw how quick Conan was to react to everything said.

"Keibu-san, I thought about it a little and," An officer paused as he thought about his words. "Are you sure we should take this diary at face value?"

The children seemed against the idea, defending that their friend was more reliable. "Well, you're not exactly right. " Eri cut in. "Children's words will hold more truth than that of adults." Everyone turned to look at her. "Even more so when they can get away with it in a diary. I see no reason as to why the boy, Kaito would write about an imaginary friend fighting with his father so late at night."

Eri looked down at Conan who seemed to be in thought. She refrained from saying anything else, only hinting at the young boy that the answer was evident in the book but of course the boy retorted in his own way. Sooner striking up a conversation with Subaru about being a Holmes fan.

"Whoa! You're a Holmes fan too?" Eri held back her snicker. Leave it to the mystery novel nerd to derive from the topic at hand.

Subaru turned to look at the woman who stepped closer to the group. "You look well, I see you made some friends since we last saw." He said gesturing towards the pet in hand who starting wiggling in her grasp ever since the man approached.

"Yes, I was lonely after all." She looked at the kids and other suspects. "So tell me, who do you think the culprit is?"

Subaru raised an eyebrow at her question. "Well, you clearly know the answer, so why are you asking?"

Eri shrugged her shoulders. "Just curious to know what your thoughts on the matter are."

"Ah, Eri-nee-san! Do you know Nii-san?" Genta-kun questioned as he noticed the pair speaking a bit away from the group.

Eri looked at the boy. "Hmm." She glanced at the man. "I've known him for a while now. We're actually great friends." She said as she straightened up and took hold of the man's arm. "That's why I know he wouldn't hurt your friend." She said though the comment was more directed towards Haibara who was still hiding behind Conan and keeping an eye out.

The conversation was halted, however, when Conan began his deduction, revealing who the White, red and yellow guys were and who the culprit was.

"Reset? You don't get it, do you? This isn't a video game you can push a button on! You put human lives in danger and destroyed decades of experiences and memories in a single night!" Eri always did admire the way the inspector talked down the culprit. "You don't get to reset anything. The game of your life isn't over yet. Get ready, because you're gonna make amends to everyone you hurt! Especially the innocent family you dragged into this!"

If the inspector wasn't stopped by another detective she was sure that the man was going to do something to hurt the guy who thought life was a game. Though when the detective delivered the news about the landlord's operation, Eri smiled. She was glad to see the kids happy, not having to worry about their friend or his father who could have died the prior night.

"We should visit Kaito at the hospital!" Mitch exclaimed as the culprit was taken away.

"The hospital's pretty far, Let's get Doctor Agasa or Eri-nee-san to drive us!"

Hearing the word doc, Subaru cut into the conversation. "Doc?"

Eri smirked slightly on how easily Subaru was able to get information from the kids, not to mention getting them to allow him to come along with them. But as much as she wanted to come along and see how everything worked out, Asuma decided against. The pup had been tugging the girl nonstop since the police cars left and seeing as how he became restless, Eri decided to jog back home with him. "Hey, Haibara?" She turned to the girl who kept hold of the kitten since the beginning.

The girl turned from the suspicious man. "Yes?"

"Mind taking Shadow back." Eri felt another strong tug, "Asuma has been restless and the only way he'll calm down is if he runs for a bit. I'll come by and pick him up at your place, just give me a few minutes." This time the tug was stronger almost knocking her off her feet.

"Yea sure." Haibara watched as the older woman got dragged away from her puppy, who surprisingly had a lot of strength.

...

Eri entered the professor's home in time to hear Conan's bullshit excuse. "No one who likes Sherlock Holmes could be a bad person!" He told Haibara. He quickly turned around to Subaru. "Here's the House Key!"

Eri came up behind Haibara. "Hey, the kids let me in. Where's Shadow?" She questioned the little girl who then looked over at the pair conversing. "He has him."

The older woman found Shadow perched on Subaru's shoulders.

She walked closer to the older man, extending out her arms as the cat jumped into them. "Hey there Shadow, you ready to go home?" The kitten meowed in question. "So Did I miss something?" She asked innocently, viewing the faces of the others around her.

Haibara simply walked away to join the other kids and left Conan to explain that Subaru would be staying at the Kudo house. "Hmm, finally, that place needs some light. A house as big as that needs some life in it." She said absentmindedly.

"You're one to talk," Conan muttered.

"Hey! My house is smaller than that." She retorted.

Conan ignored the woman before bidding goodbye to the pair who walked out along with him, both of them going separate ways. _'Damn kid, I don't think I'll ever get along with him._ ' Eri couldn't help but think as she and Subaru watch the professor pull out of his parking space and head to the hospital.

"So would you like to come by for a drink?" She turned to asked, petting her green-eyed kitten that purred contently in her arms.

"Yes, and it seems you have an explanation to give me." He said.

Eri walked over to her place, unlocking the door. "I thought you'd forgotten about that. It has been a while since we last saw each other after all. " She sighed.

As soon as she entered her home she ended up pushing away the jumble of fur who attacked her with licks of his tongue, Eri smiled at the man. " Though, I'm glad to see you again. Akai-san."

The man's lips held a smile as well. "It's Subaru."

Eri couldn't help but smile. "Right, now we're almost the same age I forgot. Mr. Engineer student." She teased.

Akai's lips shifted only slightly. "Yes, miss Author-chan." He walked forward to join her in the kitchen. He pulled his sleeves up. "So lunch?"


	5. Chapter 5

Preparing lunch for themselves, Subaru took the lead and ushered the girl to sit down as they continued their discussion. "So about the gun?"

Eri traveled over to her grapes, plopping one into her mouth as she sat on the other side of the counter to watch the man."Hmm, for protection. Isn't it obvious?"

Subaru gave her a look. "There's more than one in several places."

"Don't worry I got permission to have them all if you're wondering. But it isn't a total lie I did get them for protection, but just not against burglars, more like for that one organization the FBI and that kid keep hoping to bring down."

She saw the glare the man with green eyes gave her. "Just who are you?"

Eri paused, thinking about her answer. "I don't know actually, I'm only going on by what I found when I first came to this world." She finally said. "I'm am Eri Itou, but " She looked at the eyes of her friend. "I'm not the one of this world."

She saw the glint in the man's eyes. "Before when you asked, I told you I wasn't from this world, well, I did mean it in the literal sense." She stood from her place, gesturing for the man to follow her to her upstairs study. "This world isn't mine. For me, this world is actually an anime and manga written by a man named Aoyama Gosho. I should have died already in my world, or rather, I was about to die." Eri thought back to her final moments in her real world. Her eyebrows drew together. "Though I don't really understand how I got here. I just know that I took the place of the Eri Itou of this world. I have no idea where she went. Whether you choose to believe me is or not is up to you." She told him, finally stopping in front of a bookshelf. "Yet as I say this all out loud, I realize just how crazy it sounds." She gave out a nervous chuckle.

Subaru frowned at her words. "Alright, let's say you're telling the truth, that my world is actually some anime in your world, how would you explain knowing past memories, how do you know things that only she would know, the real Eri Itou. "

"With those," Plopping a book from its place, offering it to the man. "While I have some of her memories, the majority I got from these." She handed him the very last diary. "The original wrote everything down, for every day of her life starting since when she was 10. She stopped writing a month before I appeared. However, "Eri glance downward. "She was getting into something dangerous. She went to school with Akemi Miyano, and after she died, she got involved with things that she really shouldn't have. Things that not only uncovered the Black Syndicate but another criminal organization. She got to close to that one, almost finding out the main leader of it." Eri stayed silent as Subaru flipped through the pages before his eyes landed on an album that was piled along with the diaries. "I think the original was being targeted that day in the crash. Maybe, just maybe, she should have died that day, the same day I should have died in my world."

Subaru stopped on a particular photo, one of his dead girlfriend and the girl standing beside him. He drew in a silent breath. "Any idea as to why you are here?"

"No, I've been doing everything I could, but I just can't figure out a definite answer. I've only come up with theories but I soon gave up. There's nothing that I can find that'll give me a definite answer." Her voice went soft, her tone rather solemn as she spoke her thoughts out loud. "Most of the notes left behind are incomplete, I can't seem to find anything of value or at least something that would hint as to how I came to this world."

Subaru closed the album and turned to face the female whom he realized was shaking, whether in anger or sadness he didn't quite know. "Okay," He finally said. He didn't need a full explanation, simply because he wasn't sure the woman had one. "I guess I shouldn't expect much of an explanation seeing as how you don't have one."

"What?" Eri looked up at the man, surprise he was rather calm, but that probably was just his exterior.

"You're Eri Itou, I see nothing beyond that." He finally told her. If she was who she claimed to be, then he wouldn't think to push any further, at least not until he found a reason to.

Eri stood silent for a while before laughing. First came giggles that seemed to confuse the man but then came the full blown laughter that made the woman run out of breath. She struggled to calm down, wiping a tear from her face before she apologized. "I'm sorry, I just." She sobered up. "You're a really great guy you know." She admitted.

It took Akai by surprise but he smiled softly nodded. "Thank you."

Eri shook her head, still giggling softly. "You're welcome to read them," she gestured over to the books. "It might come in handy. Perhaps you'll be able to find something I missed." She spun on heel, heading towards the door of the room. "Though perhaps later, I'm still hungry and our food is currently waiting downstairs, Subaru-san."

"Yes, of course."

And so they spent the afternoon discussing things at the random. Now that the basics were out of the way, Akai Shuichi was rather curious about the woman's previous life. With the way she began speaking, most of his doubts about whether she was lying or not began to wash away.

"It's really not much different, I lived alone in a fairly large place, no family what so ever and I was a bit of a shut-in if it wasn't work-related." She admitted as they sat on her patio, enjoying the evening together. Her tone and expressions held a look of nostalgia. "I miss it really, I was in the FBI you know, working a major case in police headquarters. I was previously in charge of cold cases before being promoted to inspector of the homicide division."

"Then the reason to why you write so well about cold cases is because you were the one in charge of them? In that case, why did you leave? " He asked, he was definitely surprised. She held a detective look, that was believable, he was just amazed that she to was part of the FBI.

The woman nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Yea, but my partner, detective Vera, he was on the force longer than anyone else and recommended me to the boss, who then looked over my work. I passed. In that station, I was the youngest Inspector of the homicide division." She told the man rather proudly as her eyes stared off into the distance. "But nothing would compare to my position in the bureau."

"Which was?"

"A secret." She told him playfully.

Realizing that the night got colder, Subaru gave his coat to the woman beside him when he saw her shiver a bit. At first, Eri didn't want to take it claiming that the man would be in the same state but he shook his head, insisting that the cold wouldn't bother him.

"I'm not giving it back anytime soon," She told him, a sly smirk dancing on her lips. "It's fairly warm."

...

Eri never did return the man's jacket, always forgetting whenever the two interacted, which wasn't as often as one might think. Sure they lived next to each other but Eri was being called to meetings and book signings as her book was finally published and well-liked and Subaru had things of his own to care of. It wasn't until one afternoon when Eri stopped by the Kudo house to eat with Subaru did they finally speak well. "Since you were an agent in your previous life, then I assume that means you know how to handle yourself rather well right?" He questioned her as he finished putting the last touches on their pasta.

Eri nodded. "More or less, my friend and I took about every fighting class there was to offer. Though I'm better with a gun than with my fists." She told the man, reaching for the plate he was offering.

"Hmm... I'll have to test that one day."

Eri laughed, "Of course, though I would suggest a day when we are both free."

"Of course." He took a bite out of his pasta. "Then let me know when you are available I'll set things up for us."

The woman shook her head. "No need, I already have a place in mind, besides, you really are supposed to stay in the down low. Wouldn't want anyone to get suspicious right?"

Subaru smiled. "Yes."

Eri smiled, continuing to eat as she changed the subject.

' _What a strange woman.'_

 _..._

Time for Eri flew by remarkably fast on the days she was interacting with members of the animation, but on days she would have to herself or spent doing her job, time seemed to run by rather slow. One night after arriving home late, Eri decided against eating at home and instead chose to barge into the Kudo house and rummage for any leftovers Subaru had. Surely enough he had some.

"What are you doing here?" He asked when he saw the woman looking through his fridge, a shot of liquor already in hand. _'She sure can drink.'_

"I'm too lazy to cook right now. Figured you'd have food ready." She said, sighing contently as she found something and sat down.

"Long day?" Though he already knew the answer.

"More or less."

"What was it this time?" He got a glass of his own to pour bourbon.

"Pressure for a new book. Though I can't help but wonder why. I just released one, not too long ago." She took a rather small bite of the leftover stew he had, wincing as she tasted a bit more salt once again though she decided against commenting. She was too tired to do so.

Subaru didn't quite know what to say. "You're ratings must be high."

She shrugged. "Somewhat. Kudo still has a higher rating than I do. I'm following in 2nd. " She said sadly.

Later the woman went home, quite reluctantly. She was beyond tired, having already discarded her heels when they moved to the living room, Eri dreaded putting them back on to venture towards her own home. "I'll meet you tomorrow then for what we would call breakfast." She called out to the man as she was going out of the gates. _'Seeing as how neither of us eats at proper times.'_

"Bring my coat back!" He called out to her, remembering that she still had it.

Eri turned to look at him before laughing. "No way, it's comfortable." Giving him one last wave goodbye, Eri journeyed home to be greeted by her fluffy friends.

...

Eri, too lazy to cook the following day, waited as Subaru readied himself to go out to eat. Though beforehand, Eri had seen the news and decided to warn Subaru of what awaited him. "Hey her kick is quite strong, be careful." She called out to him as he headed upstairs to brush his teeth.

Subaru paid no mind to her comments. Most of them were of their neighbors who resided in the Agasa household however the one of today struck an odd chord with him. Deciding not to dwell much on it, Subaru retreated upstairs without giving her so much as a hum of ok.

"Shinichi, Where are you?!" She heard the unmistakable voice of Ran. Eri was glad she decided to reside in the kitchen of the place rather than the library where she would have been easily spotted.

"You are here, aren't you? Answer me!"

"SHINICHI!"

Deciding that this was going to be a sight to see, she headed upstairs, following silently behind the 2 high schoolers.

"Hey, don't tell me this is a thief!?"

Eri blew a short whistle as she watched her friend get kicked by Ran. Both girls turned to look at her. "Ah who are you!"

Sighing, the woman turned to her friend and helped him off the ground. "Told you." She whispered into his ear.

...

After a short phone call and an apology from Ran and her friend, Eri got through with introducing herself, earning a hug from Ran.

"I didn't recognize you, you've changed since the last time I saw you!" She told the older woman.

"Well, the last time I saw you, I think was when I first started writing my first book. You were in Middle school around that time if I'm correct." Eri told the girl. Though she didn't miss the look her male friend gave her as he chatted with the other girl.

"Ah, Ah Suzuki-san, rumor has it you already have a boyfriend, and besides." Eri hooked arms with the man next to her. "He already has a girlfriend." She said mischievously and since the guy beside her made no move, to tell the truth, the girls believed her.

"Ah! Really, for how long!" Ran asked excitedly.

Eri couldn't help but laugh at the gullible girls. "I'm kidding." Her arm unhooked from the man's. "He's just actually a really good friend of mine. Besides you know me, I can't actually keep hold of a man for too long." She told the younger girl.

"Ah, that's not true, what about Kazuma-san, you two lasted for a good year." She said.

"It was only 8 months, and he left after your father scared him away," she added. "What a man that was." She said rather sarcastically, as she recalled the little reading she did partially on that part of the diary.

Ran crossed her arms. "Hmm... well, maybe you'll have luck in the future." She leaned forward to the woman. "Maybe with Okiya-san."

Eri giggled, whispering in the other female's ear. "No, I have my heart set on another." She told the girl. _'Well, it's not a complete lie.'_

Subaru and Sonoko looked at the pair curiously, choosing not to comment on their whispering. Sonoko, out loud, spoke her thoughts. "Shame, you two would have looked good together. You looked like a perfect couple."

Eri and Subaru shot the girl a look of amusement before continuing on with the topic beforehand.

"If you insist, so why don't we go to 'Welcome Burger', the place where you were eating earlier?" The man suggested.

"Hmm, that does sound like a good place to eat. I've only been there once." The latter commented. "My editor isn't really fond of fast food such as that so I haven't had a chance to go again."

"Huh? Did we mention that?" Ran asked. "That we came from 'Welcome burger'?"

"He probably just noticed by the way you retreated behind your friend earlier, Ran-chan. Most of the time, you stand defiantly, even after you determine whether or not someone is a threat or not but this time you retreated." Eri crossed her arms over her chest. "That's probably because he's from the opposite sex." She looked over at the male. "Right?"

The man nodded. "I thought you might have eaten that new garlic sandwich from WB."

"That's amazing!" Sonako declared but Ran was still doubtful of their deductions.

"You used your cell phone with your ring finger just now, not many do that unless they have a good reason not to use their thumb, pointer or middle finger," Subaru explained more clearly. "Most likely you still had some oil on your fingers after using them to eat French fries."

Eri pointed towards her face. "Not to mention there's still a little salt left in your mouth Ran-chan." Ran licked it off but the pair of girls dashed off to the bathroom.

Subaru looked at the girl in amusement. "So I'm your boyfriend?"

Eri gave him a plain stare, reaching up to flick him. "Baka."

...

When Ran asked Subaru to deduce the mystery behind the paper airplanes with morse code written on them, Eri found herself staying silent the majority of the time, allowing the girls to be entranced with the man's deduction skills. Eventually, the high school girls left, their roles reversed.

"What was that Kinichi thing?" Subaru asked as he walked to the library window to watch the pair run away.

Eri smirked at him. "I'm sure you already know, given her unconvincing lie."

Subaru frowned as he turned away from the window. "Do you know what is going on?"

Eri nodded. "Of course I do, though I'm not allowed to say, you know that."

Subaru shook his head. "Not even if someone's life is in danger."

Eri offered him a sad smile. "Not even then, let nature run its course. I'm sure you know that, besides, I have faith that you will solve this within time."

...

Eri sat calmly to the side watching Subaru interact with the two teenage girls. It was an odd sight, she was so used to being alone with the man that she never thought his acting skills were so good. But then again, this was a case he was trying to solve and like any mystery nerd, the man jumped at the chance, his silent facade fading away.

"Should I leave calling the police up to you, Subaru-san, and go with Ran? It's kinda hard to explain a code like this to police." Sonoko asked, clearly unsure of what she should do. Ran did leave in a hurry after all.

"No, it's probably better that you call them since you have police acquaintances." The man replied.

"Right," Though almost immediately after the call, Sonoko left, leaving the pair alone at last.

Eri looked at the time. "Still want to go out to eat?" She questioned the man.

Subaru looked up from the plane towards the woman who stood behind him. "Sure."

...

Eri watched as the man was deep in thought, his drink of Bourbon in hand. "Thinking of something important?" She questioned.

Subaru looked up from the beverage. "No, nothing at all."

Eri turned away from the window. "Is that so... " The woman bit her cherry red lips. "You're a terrible liar Akai-san." Her voice was rather soft. "Then again, I guess all detectives are, they do, after all, only seek the truth." Turning back to look out the window

Subaru looked at the woman a frown on his face. "Then wouldn't that apply to you?"

The woman continued staring out the window. "Yes, it would seem so."


	6. Chapter 6

Eri found herself standing as a suspect. The idea had her baffled as she had never met the man who had been poisoned but still, the police thought it best not to exclude her just yet.

"I'm sorry Eri-san but we can't let you leave until you are cleared from suspicion." Detective Takagi told the woman after learning her name and hearing her side of things.

Said person waved him off. "It's alright I understand." She truly did but she was still thinking of how ludicrous it sounded due to the fact that the victim and herself worked in completely different fields.

"Eri-nee-san wouldn't kill someone, she was just standing up for Genta-kun and the store manager!" Ayumi yelled at the Inspector.

Inspector Meguire coughed slightly, clearing his throat before looking at the woman he met years ago. "Itou-san, I'm sure you know why."

The strawberry-blond nodded." Yes of course. Everyone involved should be considered a suspect. And since I was the last person who came in contact with the man, it would only make sense." She told him before turning over to the kids. "Hey, now, let the detectives do their work. We don't know where exactly the culprit managed to poison the victim so don't go around touching everything." Eri scolded the children.

The children nodded, leaving off to go join the professor. Haibara, on the other hand, looked at the woman who sighed and took her phone out. "Maybe it was best that you didn't come with us."

"Maybe, but no harm was done, I'm sure Conan and the others will solve this quickly." She told the girl still looking at her phone as she sent messages to her editor.

Haibara narrowed her eyes at the woman. "You look okay now. Earlier you stood in shock."

Eri nodded. "It took me by surprise. I didn't think the man would drop dead when I walked by him." Eri's eyes looked up from her screen and over to the girl. "Besides, it's my first time seeing a dead person." _'Lie'_ "That's rather surprising don't you think?"

...

"Oh Itou-san, it's good to see you again," The inspector said, patting the woman's shoulder. "Didn't think I'd see you as a suspect, however."

Eri chuckled. "Even the most unpleasant circumstances bring the best scenarios."

The man laughed. "Of course. How are things? Some detectives talk highly of your books."

"Then I'd say things are going rather well."

Detective Takagi who had been nearby cut in. "Her books? Are you a writer Eri-san?" He turned to look at the woman rather amazed, eyes wide with curiosity.

Nodding, Eri smiled. "Yes, I go by Ballantine. I'm sure you've heard of the Serial killer series I've written and just recently I'm writing a cold case series." She explained to the man near her age.

The detective was rather impressed. "Y-you're Ballantine!"

Eri grinned, she rather enjoyed having to meet someone who loved her books. "Yup."

Takagi blushed as the Inspector laughed, watching the two. "Takagi-kun why don't you ask for her autograph, I'm sure the other detectives would appreciate it."

"H-hai." He nervously grabbed his notebook and pen to offer to the writer in front of him.

Eri's smile turned sincere as she signed her name and wrote an encouraging note to the detectives at HQ and another one to the detective in front of her.

"Well, you best be off. I'm sure you are as busy as I am in a day like this." The woman told the men as she waved goodbye to join the group she came with earlier.

...

"Takagi-kun!" Sato yelled as she spotted her boyfriend looking at a piece of paper. She walked up to him. "What is that?" There she saw a signature and phone number. She blushed in anger.

Shiratori and Chiba who were also nearby along with Inspector Meguire looked at the man who just got punched by the female detective. They spotted what had caused the incident, all of them paling slightly.

"Ah, It's not what it looks like!" Takagi finally yelled as he spotted the glares of everyone.

"Then what is it?" Sato questioned.

Takagi held up the piece of paper. "It's an autograph from my favorite detective writer." He admitted.

Everyone looked at him in wonder. "Autograph?"

Takagi nodded. "Yea, The famous writer Ballantine, I ran into her earlier." He blushed slightly as everyone looked at him with suspicion.

Shiratori looked at the paper, "That does look like her signature, but how did you know it was her, she doesn't really make public appearances and when she does, a hat and mask cover her face."

Takagi looked at the paper the same goofy grin he had earlier emerged on his face. "Because the inspector and I met her at a case earlier. She gave me an autograph and gave one to the rest of the detectives in the division." The man pulled out the paper before giving it to the inspector to read out loud.

 ** _'You'll never realize how much a detective is worth and how much respect they have until all are gone. So I plead to those of the homicide division to never disappear. This job is for those who love the truth don't leave it for the deceitful lies one leaves behind, Ballantine.'_**

...

By sunset, Eri sat on the hood of her car, thinking as she waited for her neighbor to approach.

"So why did you call me all the way out here?" Subaru questioned.

Eri glance at the man, "We needed a change of scenery." She said nonchalantly

Subaru glared. He wasn't happy at the moment and having been called out by the mysterious woman wasn't exactly pleasant, despite the two being what one would call ' _friends_ ' for some time now. "Eri..."

"Kidding. I didn't want to be in my house, besides I needed to clear my thoughts a bit." She said, not looking at the man but at the rays of the sun that began to dip low as night came.

"Then what was so urgent?" Subaru leaned against his car, lighting up a cigarette.

Eri sighed. "The plot changed only slightly. I was a suspect in the murder today."

Subaru looked up at her. "A suspect?" He drew a breath of smoke. "Then I suppose you aren't sure of how things are going to play out from now on."

She nodded. "I don't know if I should be worried or not." Rubbing the bridge of her temples she let out a rather deep sigh. "Though probably not since Conan was there to find out the truth but what if next time he doesn't?"

Subaru sighed, turning off his voice changer. Finally, Akai Shuichi came out to play. "The boy knows what he's doing, besides the majority of the time you are with me or those kids. You'll be fine." He tired his best to comfort the woman, to ease her worries away. Akai could only imagine how terrifying it must be to suddenly be forced to live in a world you only read about.

Eri nodded, shivering as a small breeze came by. "You're right, perhaps I'm worrying too much, though I have been thinking."

Akai tilted his head. "About what?"

"There's probably a chance that this world won't play out exactly the same since I'm here and I'm rather close to you all."

Akai nodded. "Then wouldn't that mean that you won't be able to go back?" It's a theory he had been thinking about for quite a while now. If Eri had been here and was now interacting with the characters quite a bit, who's to say she isn't fully integrated into the story by now.

Eri looked down in thought. "Perhaps..."

...

For a while, Eri had been fairly silent, only communicating with others if required. However, came a week where Subaru had not seen or heard of the woman. Only hearing the occasional barking of her pet Asuma and seeing the kitten Shadow who from time to time joined the man as he smoked a cigarette in the balcony of the home he resided.

Finally having enough of it, Subaru let himself in the woman's home to find her bundled in a heap of blankets. Judging by her state, Eri was sick. "Subaru?" Her voice was dry and weak.

Asuma barked happily as he saw the man and nudged him forward. Subaru needed no further help as he leaned down and took the woman's temperature. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He saw the woman look down in shame. "I've never had anyone to care for me when I was sick, I didn't want to be a bother."

At this state, one could truly see the woman's vulnerability. Her defenses down and her thoughts and emotions running about. With puffy eyes and a red nose, Subaru sympathized with the woman. It probably just wasn't a fever she had but homesickness finally coming to play about.

The man sighed. "Lay back down, I'll get some porridge started." But he didn't need to say much considering the fact that the woman had already drifted off the moment he laid her back down.

Akai turned his voice changer off, no use in having it on when the woman wasn't going to have anyone over in a while. At least not until she got better. Finishing rather quickly, Akai shook the girl awake, helping her eat before giving her some cold medicine.

"Shuichi." She uttered his name. "Why did you come?" Her eyes dropped slightly.

The man smiled, unknowingly pulling back a strand of her hair. "I was worried, You didn't contact anyone for days."

Eri smiled, saying a small sorry before falling back asleep.

...

By morning, Subaru found himself covered in a blanket, the woman nowhere in sight. He did, however, hear the shower running. _'She should be feeling better by now.'_

He got up to stretch only to see a half-naked woman in front of him. Blushing only the slightest, Akai turned away from his neighbor.

Eri apologized, rushing to get what looked like her outfit for the day from her closet before heading to her bathroom once more. From there she spoke. "Sorry about that, I forgot to get my clothes. I was rather sweaty after all." She exited to see the man rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Turning on his voice changer, Subaru nodded. "It's fine. I probably should head home and get changed. "

"Yea, thanks for taking care of me. It was a rather nice change." She admitted, walking him down to her front door. "Let me know when the professor contacts you to pick the kids up." She said rather knowingly.

...

"Eh! The professor can't come?!" The kids asked the two grown adults.

"That's right, the automated ham and egg making machines the professor created and distributed seem to be faulty, and there are a lot of complaints now..." Subaru explained.

"He thought it wouldn't take long to fix the machines but now it looks like he'll have to spend a lot of time on it so he asked Subaru-san to pick you guys up, I decided to tag along since I was with him," Eri told the kids, her smile ever present as usual.

"I see..."

The kids sure weren't too happy with being surprised but they nodded. Besides that, they weren't too comfortable with the newcomer just yet.

"Watch your step..." Subaru told the kids. Eri standing a bit away from them as she observed her surroundings before turning to the two shrunken teenagers. "Now now, it isn't nice to talk behind a person's back." She interrupted them.

The kids jumped, startled before they were ushered on the boat. As Haibara tripped, Eri smiled. Subaru's instincts were on point.

"But it's a pity isn't it, we caught so much but can't eat them..." Mitch said sadly.

The other two joined him as they peered inside the buckets.

"Well, shall we cook for you then?" Subaru asked the kids.

Genta looked up in surprise. "You can cook?!"

"Yeah, somewhat, It's not as good as a top-notch chef's but as long as it's home cooked food..." The man leaned forward. "I'll use the professor's kitchen to whip up a meal then!"

Eri tried to hold in the laugh but failed. The kids looked at her in surprise. "Don't worry, I'll be there to help if you can't." She finally added.

"Yay!"

"Hey kids, look at that!"

Everyone turned to look at the sunset. Eri parted from the group, finally getting sea-sick. She pushed towards the edge of the boat and leaned forward. Sick the previous days, Eri found herself keeping down the bile that stuck in her throat.

"Come on Eri-nee-san!" Ayumi tugged the girl's hand as they exited off the boat.

Eri, glad to be off the boat sighed in relief. She was tugged forward, soon standing behind the girl as she realized they would soon be posing for a photo that they would never take.

While the kids and Subaru were looking at the carved words, Eri felt a bit dizzy. _'Maybe I'm still sick.'_ She sneezed. _'Definitely still sick.'_

She looked up to see Haibara offering her a handkerchief. "Are you sick?"

Eri nodded at the little girl. "Just a bit, Thank you." She held herself together as she felt a shiver.

Soon the others came back, all revealing that they found a body. Subaru as always was the first to notice that the woman had gone pale. "Are you alright?"

Eri nodded. "Yes, I didn't think I would still be sick today."

"You look rather pale." He reached forward to get a feel of her forehead only to feel her warm hand pull it away.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine, go help those kids." She ushered him away. "Go I'll be fine here. Let me know how it all goes."

The man nodded, glaring slightly at the woman. "Let me know if you feel dizzy." He turned, going back towards the kids but every so often his gaze would turn back to the woman who leaned against the wall with her eyes closed.

By the time Eri felt her dizziness gone, she opened her eyes to see that Conan was revealing the culprit. Rather than asking what was going on, Eri simply walked behind the group, waiting for the moment Ayumi would be captured. Though she knew Subaru had it handled. The risk was too high to leave the little girl in the man's clutches. No telling how things would change now that she was here.

Everyone panicked as the man had the little girl in his arms. None of them noticing that Eri walked behind the culprit.

"O.12 Percent"

"what?"

"That's the success rate of escape for criminals. That means only 1 out of every 1000. However, if you were to remove those who were blessed with protection from the devil, who had to hide their identity and live in fear until they tired of it and eventually surrendered themselves or committed suicide... you can say that the number who succeed at escaping is equal to zero." Subaru finished as he watched Eri place something besides the man's head.

The sound of a cocking sound brushed them all out of their states of shock. "I suggest you let the little girl go, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot." Eri's voice was rather deadly and it scared all.

The man turned around swiftly only to find that the knife was no longer in hand and the girl was being comforted by Subaru.

"Well, then shall I have you escape to the police station?"

The children all gushed over the two adults. "Was that figure really correct?"

Eri looked at the boy. "Of course not, it was only a random figure. While that was a good distraction the man had to be provoked just a bit more."

They all looked at her in question. "What was that sound? Surely you don't really have a gun on you."

Eri picked up her phone. "It's just an app I was messing around with."

She handed the knife she had in hand and passed it to the police officers who thanked her. One of them rather surprised she was wearing gloves. "I always carry a pair, never know when you might need them."

Heading back home, Subaru stayed near the female who held the contents of her stomach in. "You really do have a gun on you don't you."

Eri glared at the man. "Don't be silly why would I carry one with the kids."

Subaru looked at her boot. "Then what is that?"

Eri looked at her boot. "Damn, guess I really did have one." The woman lunged forward as she withheld from throwing up.

Subaru looked at her. _'perhaps she really didn't know.'_ He rubbed the woman's back soothingly, staying with her on their journey home.

Both missed the looks the others were casting them. Haibara and Conan, of course, knew they weren't who they claimed but nevertheless smiled at the sight. The adults, lonely in their own ways, looked really happy at the moment, even if one was close to emptying the contents of her stomach.

...

"Eri-san, are you okay?" Ayumi questioned the rather pale girl as they all finished eating.

Eri smiled, a pathetic one at that. "Yea." She stood up from her seat only to sway slightly. "Okay maybe not." She stopped once a man's arms wrapped around her body to steady her.

"I'll be taking her home," He felt her forehead. "She's still sick." He told them as the girl finally passed out in his arms. He picked her up, bidding the rest goodnight as they headed out.

"Ne, Ai-chan, don't they look cute together?" Ayumi told the other girl through the rest heard it.

Haibara shook her head, smiling softly. "As much as I hate to admit it, they do."

Conan looked at them. _'No way that's going to happen. According to Jodie-sensei, Akai-san is still hung up on his ex.'_ Though as he thought about it, he couldn't help but think if the fact was still true. The way the pair just happened to look at one another was too strong to ignore.

...

Subaru, after taking the woman's, coat, and boots off, sat in a chair beside her and began to read the manuscript she had lying around. Her pets both sleeping beside the woman, one always looking up at the man every few minutes as he shifted the pages.

The man continued reading, only hearing the soft snores from the woman before he found her tossing slightly, perhaps having a nightmare.

 _'Slightly out of it, Eri bumped into another wall as she barely avoided the bullet that almost grazed her head. "What do you want Sadie?!" She yelled as she jumped out the window and slid into the one next door only to find herself trapped._

"Sadie!"

Eri screamed slightly as she jumped up from her bed, her body covered in a light sweat. She looked up to see her neighbor looking at her with concern. "You alright?"

Eri nodded at the man. "Yea, sorry. Just a bad dream."

Subaru nodded, watching as the woman fell back to sleep.

The man heard the dog begin to wine, jumping from his place before nudging the man towards the woman's bed. Knowing that the dog wouldn't let up anytime soon, he joined the pets on the woman's bed, sitting down as he started to pet the cat who hopped onto his lap.

Without realizing it, the man had fallen asleep.

...

"Should we wake them?" Ayumi asked the others as they peered inside the woman's room.

Haibara looked inside the room before grabbing hold of the door. "No, we let them sleep, we can just play with the Asuma and Shadow later." But it didn't look like that would happen anytime soon for the two house pets were standing beside them.

"Let's just play with them outside and wait for them to wake," Mitch suggested as he closed the door and allowed the older pair to sleep. It was still rather early and the pair were known to still be asleep at this time.

Conan was the first to leave. "Hurry up, we don't want to wake them." He ushered them forward considering how the dog started to yap rather loudly.

...

Eri felt something warm, warmer than her usual bushy haired roommates. Within a few seconds, she spotted her neighbor, her head against his chest, his arms around her waist. She panicked slightly before remembering that he was asleep.

"Akai-san," she called out softly. "Akai Shuichi... Subaru-san!" She finally yelled, jolting the man awake.

The man looked at her in question before sitting up, rubbing his face.

"Perhaps you should go get fixed up in my bathroom, I think the kids are here." She told the man.

She herself blushed as she remembered the touch of him. _'ah, Eri, you certainly do not want to go that route.'_ She scolded herself. Looking at the time, she got up in a hurry, rushing towards her closet as she discarded her clothes and attempted to get ready for her meeting she was certainly going to be late for.

Struggling with the zipper of her dress, Eri hopped around the room, almost rushing the man out of the restroom as she wet her face and brushed her teeth. "Mind zipping me up?" She mumbled as she did her hair.

The man nodded, doing it rather slowly as he kept his eyes on the girl's shoulders, spotting a few lingering scars.

"Thank you, now please take care of the kids and of course Asuma and that damn cat." She said bitterly remembering that the cat had a bit of an attitude with his owner. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Subaru was left standing in place, finding that when he walked downstairs to join the kids, he had to give out answers.

"Ne, Subaru-onii-san, are you and Eri-nee-chan a couple?"

The man sighed, cursing the woman in his head as he searched for words.

In the meantime, Eri was driving in her car. "Huh, if the kids were there, they must have seen Subaru and I together..." She sweatdropped at the thought. "Well, that can't be any good..."

* * *

 **Probably could have written something a little better but that's the best i got for now.**


	7. Chapter 7

Eri found herself standing next to the female FBI agent while at the bank on a snowy day. Her eyes enlarged at the sight of the blond, she didn't think that today of all days would be the bank heist. "Ah, Jodie-san, nice to see you again."

"E-eri-san right?" Jodie Starling looked beside her, startled at being snapped out of her thoughts so suddenly.

"Yes, I'm glad you remember me, it's been a while since we met," The woman's smile was soft and somewhat comforting to the woman beside her.

Jodie smiled, finally calming down after the aftermaths of earlier. "Yea, what brings you here? I was informed that you lived quite a distance from here." She stepped closer to the woman as they struck up their small conversation.

Eri's somewhat gray-like eyes shone in the light. "I was running a few errands around, I figured I'd make a deposit before heading home." She made a few gestures with her hands.

"Is that so..." Jodie's voice trailed off as a gunshot cut through the air, emitting utter silence in the premises.

"Jodie-san, you wouldn't happen to be armed right?" She questioned the blond, before shaking her head as the woman cast a suspicious look. ' _Perhaps I should keep to myself, there's no telling how much will change.'_

Eri glared, first at the men who had taken everyone in the bank hostage and then at the impersonator that she spotted who happened to bump into her. Unknowingly, she made ' _Akai'_ shiver. Eri tried her best to ignore him, but as Jodie fretted over the man and she felt cold eyes looking at her, she found it rather annoying. She shifted in position, trying to get comfortable but soon gave up. Her eyes flitted over the bodies of people, stare lasting longer on the 'Akai' that sat beside her now, seeing as how the blond managed to get away, claiming that she really needed to use the restroom.

Now as they were all tied up and taped so that they couldn't speak nor see what was going on, Eri found herself sitting back to back with the man who impersonated her friend. Catching his wrist, her fingertips glided against his skin as she searched for the corners of the tape to take off. At first, the man tried to withdraw his hand but soon caught on to what the woman was doing and proceeded in doing the same.

"All right, next we'll have everyone stand up. All of you are to make your way towards the sound of my voice!" She heard someone call.

Eri stood up, pulling the tape off her eyes and mouth before turning around to see the impersonator looking at her with suspicion. Turning around and shooting off their gun, disappearing into the crowd.

The woman sighed, tucking her hands into her coat pocket, leaving the area almost immediately. Trying her best to avoid being seen. She really didn't want the man figuring out who she was just yet.

...

"Ah that's right Eri-san was here." The blond woman said once she was outside with the kids. "But where did she go?" She looked around, eyes searching for the strawberry blond who seemed to disappear, seeming as if she was never really there to begin with.

Conan looked at her curiously. "She was?"

The FBI agent nodded. "I was speaking with her earlier, before the attempted heist. Though she seems to have disappeared." Jodie's eyes narrowed in thought. The woman might have been trusted in the eyes of Akai Shuichi but she was just too suspicious.

Conan narrowed his eyes in thought. ' _Why did she leave so suddenly?'_

...

"So why did you take so long?"

Eri looked at the man, "I'm sure you'll see it on the news later but, I was being held hostage at the bank with a few others. One of which includes your FBI friend, Jodie." She began to shed her warm jacket on the armrest of the couch her neighbor sat in.

Subaru looked at the woman curiously. "Is that so..." Eyes turning back to the book he had in hand.

"Hmm, you also have a small issue." She caught the man's attention. His gaze finally leaving the book and giving his utmost attention. "There's an impersonator of you walking around. You might want to take care that your friend doesn't get too caught up with it." She told him. Her hands on her hips, a smirk playing on her lips.

Akai smirked. "Of course."

...

"Sorry professor looks like I can't do much. It's cold and I'm afraid I don't have the right equipment." Eri told the old man as she wiped the grease off with a handkerchief. She shut the hood of the old car, sighing as she realized that she couldn't fix it, especially not when the professor didn't even carry many tools.

The old man apologized for dragging to woman all the way out there and then getting her stuck. "Don't worry about it, I volunteered to accompany you. I needed some more inspiration."

Haibara stuck close to the older woman as some guys came to pick the car up. "You wouldn't happen to have any money on you?"

Eri shook her head, pulling her arms closer to herself a bit sheepishly. "I got up in a bit of a hurry, I don't even think I brought my phone." She checked her person to see that she only carried a notebook, pen and a small gun she always seemed to carry.

They all sighed as they called Conan, hoping that the detective he was residing with would be able to pick them up. _'I wish I remembered what this case was about...'_ Eri tilted her head in frustration. _'I read this chapter rather quickly.'_

"Sorry about that... for being a girl with Narrow eyes..." Haibara said as she took the phone from the professor.

Eri chuckled, continuing to listen to the girl's conversation with the shrunken detective. For a while, the woman was silent, though she saw the few glances Haibara threw at her as she said her suspicions of Subaru Okiya out loud. _'If only you knew Haibara.'_

"We can give you a ride if you need one!" A woman pulled up as she honked her horn. "You don't have any money on you right?" She asked.

The professor was the first to respond followed by Eri who glanced unsurely at Haibara and ushered her forward.

The fit was tight but Eri ended up putting the parcel that took up the majority of the space on her lap. The woman drowning out the conversation as she tried to think of what case was going on. ' _They are detectives but for which case...'_ Eri kept glancing up ahead before she heard Haibara. "Grandpa Now's a good chance for us to get some sleep. "

Eri looked at the pair rather confused. _'Why are they sleepy?'_ She saw the pair whispering before closing their eyes in what looked like a slumber. Eri decided against sleeping and instead stared out the window before the man's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"What's up with that? The stuff in the car multiplied while I slept." The man shot a glance backward, taking note that the woman seemed to drift away in her own thoughts as the child and old man looked to be asleep.

"I picked them up along the way. They seem to know detective Mouri." The woman driving responded.

"That so, How convenient, Looks like we'll be saved the trouble of looking for the house."

Eri spoke up. "In that case, are you close to the private detective?"

The man looked back at the woman, narrowing his eyes in thought before nodding. "Somewhat... I assume you know them fairly well right?"

Eri nodded. "I guess you can say that. I've known the family for quite some time now. As well as the new addition that came recently."

The man looked forward. "Then what do you think of that kid.."

"What kid?" the woman beside him questioned.

"The one who sticks to Mouri Kogorou. The little youngster called Edogawa Conan."

"He's a smart kid," Eri said, rather unsure of what else to say her mind still trying to come up with an answer as to what the case would be.

"I think for a kid, he has a pretty sharp mind..." the other woman said as if still thinking on the matter.

"The way I see it, that youngster is the one leading everything. A terrible phantom..." The man began, continuing his talk with the woman driving. Finally, Eri remembered what case it was smiling at the thought of what was to come.

...

Eri chuckled as Haibara and the professor rushed off, seemingly to forgotten their companion. The woman turned to look at her. "What's so funny?"

The strawberry blond only laughed louder. "Sorry... It's just that those two think you guys are murders and are now targeting the Mouri detective agency."

The man looked at her in question. "And you don't?"

Eri shook her head. "No. You guys are detectives right?"

The two people nodded, slightly surprised that the woman was able to figure that out.

"Well since they ran off and left me behind for some would be killers, why don't we play around with them for a bit?" Eri said.

...

Eri couldn't help but laugh, as she spotted Haibara's and the professor's faces of surprise when they learned the truth.

Conan looked up at the woman with a glare. "If you knew then why didn't you tell them anything?"

Eri shrugged her shoulders, sending the old man and little girl a look. "I needed the entertainment, besides they left me behind. What if they really were killers?" Haibara and the professor looked down guiltily. "But don't worry, I would have handled myself rather fine."She assured them.

As they all headed back to the car, the man walking beside Eri spoke. "If we were killers you would have gotten the better of us with that gun you have concealed." He spoke lowly.

Eri looked at him, slightly surprised that he noticed. "Perhaps..."

...

Eri stood in the back, watching the band of detectives interact with the newly found case. The mystery of the blood-soaked 'red wall.'

 _'Huh, so it's time for this case.'_ She looked at the two detectives. _'Should I stay for it?_ ' Though as the conversation continued Eri thought again. _'Better not, besides I do have other stuff to do for today.'_

"Ne Eri-san?" Conan called out to the girl as she was bidding goodbye to Ran and her father who gushed about how much she had grown over the years.

"Yes?"

He gestured for her to lean forward. "Were you the one that shot the gun at the bank?"

Eri shook her head. "No, but the one who was... well its best if you watch out for him."

"Oi Eri-san," Detective Mouri called out to the young girl. "Why don't you come along, you can get more inspiration for your upcoming book." Ran urged as well.

Eri chuckled nervously. "As much as I wished I could, I really can't. I have a small event to attend to." Eri glanced at the time," If I don't hurry now, I'll be late and my date wouldn't be too happy about that." She admitted.

Ran gushed trying to pry about the woman's date. "It's Subaru-san. He was free tonight so I asked him to accompany me." She spoke casually before leaving. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave. I wish you the best of luck in the case."

...

Eri was slowly getting ready, looking out her window every so often to get a good glimpse of the sky. A knocking sound broke her out of her thoughts as she put the finishing touches. "Eri-san."

The woman turned to get a good look at the man that would accompany her to her dinner, her smile, however, turned into a frown as she saw his clothes. "Busy tonight?" She dreaded hearing his answer.

Subaru nodded, frowning as well. "Something came up, I'm afraid that I won't be able to escort you."

She sighed, getting up to pat him on the back. "That's alright, duty before anything else right?"

The man nodded, truly sorry for abandoning the woman. Especially not when she was dressed so beautifully.

"Well, it can't be that bad if I go alone." She tried her best to smile despite her disappointment. Something that the man noticed.

How untrue that became. The dinner was filled with slightly older men, her only highlight being that she met with Yusaku Kudo and his wife, Yukiko.

"Oh, Eri-san, How lovely it is seeing you here." Yukiko-san was the first to approach, saving the woman from several men that asked for a dance and held unpleasant conversations with the girl.

Eri breathed in appreciation. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I'd like to talk to my friend right now." The gray-eyed beauty turned and walked off with her friend, both joining Yukiko's husband at their table. "Vivan," Eri slipped into her English tongue. "Thank you so much, such a pleasure it is seeing you." She turned to Booker. "And it's nice to see you again."

Booker/Yusaku Kudo smiled at the young author. "It's nice to see you as well, Eri. Though we did live next to each other for a few years, I never did get the pleasure of speaking with you properly." He said, grabbing the girl's hand to shake it.

Eri smiled at the comment. She took a seat, conversing with both the author and ex-actress. Most people passed and view them as an odd sight. Mostly because many didn't realize that the strawberry blond sitting with the older pair was the famous author that went by Ballantine.

"Well, this has been a lovely night but I'm afraid that we should be leaving," Yukiko said as she interrupted her husband and the girl.

Eri looked at the time, "Ah you're right. I guess I should be leaving as well." She stood up along with the pair. "Mind if I walk out with you as well." She pointed her thumb behind her. "I really rather not get caught up with the crowd. They get rather crazy. Especially since they aren't aware of who I am."

The pair laughed, nodding happily as they exited the place.

"Thank you so much for spending the evening with me, next time I'll be sure to bring my date with me to not become a bother for you both." The woman bashfully stated, entering her car.

Vivian stopped her friend. "Oh, do you mean 'him.' How are things between the two of you?"

Eri looked up at the woman. "Fine. He's a rather nice neighbor, I find that I enjoy his company."

"Ara, well I'll be sure to visit very soon next time."

Eri started up her car. "I'll be waiting."

...

She was getting drowsy, barely making it into her home before passing out entirely on the floor. Her vision blurred and her breathing turned heavy, she choked on air before finally falling into an abyss or torment.


	8. Chapter 8

Eri woke up gasping for air. She felt numb all over. For a moment, Eri looked around her surroundings once her vision cleared up. Confused, she got up shakingly. In her house, back to where she knew she wanted to be.

"Asuma." She hugged her golden retriever tightly, glad to be there. A few tears of relief trailing down her face.

...

The events of that night she kept to herself, not quite sure if she should tell Akai-san about them or not. Opting out, she tried to act her normal self around him but found it rather difficult especially since she kept thinking about it. It was something the man noticed.

"Eri... are you alright?" he asked her one afternoon as they shared a drink after a long week.

She looked at him in surprise. "Worried about me?" She teased slightly before seeing the look on his face. "Honestly I don't know. A few nights ago I collapsed and for some reason, I felt as if i were drowning." Eri paused, slightly licking her lips as she looked for the right way to say things. "I think I died. This time for good." She looked at the man in front of her. His face was unreadable.

She scoffed slightly. "This all sounds so crazy. Sorry, it's probably nothing."

Akai looked at the woman who quickly changed the subject. They did not elaborate on that matter.

...

The days passed and Eri finally found herself at peace. She'd miss her old life of course but for now, she was content with her current one and she definitely wouldn't change it.

"Ran, when am I going to meet this Hattori kid?" She questioned the teenage girl over the phone. They made plans the previous week to go out but the teenager canceled because this kid came by with a case.

"Hmm, maybe sometime in the future, I'm sure you'll run into him one day." She said. "Well, I have to go, I'll call you later!"

Eri looked at her phone seeing that the girl ended the call without letting her get a word in. Sighing Eri approached her front door with her keys in hand only to find that it was open. Cautiously the girl ventured inside only to find the one and only Yukiko standing in her kitchen and cooking something. "Ah Yukiko-san, what are you doing here?"

The older woman jumped at the sound of her voice. "Oh, Eri-san. I wanted to come by and see how you were doing." She looked the girl up and down. "You must be hungry, I'm almost done. Go get Okiya-san, I'm sure he's hungry as well. "

Eri merely nodded and left next door to go get the brooding man. He who was in the middle of getting out the shower. "Sorry," Eri blushed slightly seeing the shirtless man. "Yukiko told me to come to get you, I'll just wait for you over at my place." She hurriedly said.

Rushing down the stairs, Akai never took his eyes off the blushing strawberry blond. A smirk on his face, he set off to get ready for lunch with both women.

...

"Where's Okiya-san?" Yukiko asked the flustered girl.

Eri leaned against her counter. "He's getting ready, he should be here soon."

Smiling the ex-actress pulled the author over to the library. "You should read this. I was bored all day I really wanted to write something. You took to long to come home." Shoving the laptop in the girl's arms she gestured for the young girl to read it.

 _' "Quite the brave one aren't you?" Eri told Subaru as he barged into the female's room only to see her in her underwear._

 _Subaru turned around. "It was either me or that man." He said quite bitterly._

 _Eri smirked as she quickly put her clothes on. "Still, a simple knock would have sufficed, nothing bad will happen to me you know."_

 _Subaru sighed. "Would you hurry?"_

 _She calmly walked over to her vanity, taking her hair and tying it up. "First you see me naked and then you kissed me this morning. Now you are demanding me to hurry up so we can go." She turned to look at him, reaching for the pullover sweater she had on a chair with a pair of black jeans. "Aren't you doing it all a bit out of order." She teased._

 _Subaru growled lightly, something that Eri took notice of before she passed him, patting his chest slightly. "Only teasing."_

 _But the man had enough, he pushed the girl against the wall. "That is not teasing." He said_

 _The girl smirked. "Oh, and what is?" She said in a low voice._

 _Subaru smirked. "This." The man dipped down landing a small bite on her lower lip before his tongue pushed forward.'_

"Ah! Yukiko-san what were you writing!" Eri spun around to ask the woman who would be staying at her house for the next 3 days, claiming that she was just lonely. The woman giggled. "Why just something small to keep my thoughts at bay, So did you like it?"

Eri blushed, shutting the lid of the laptop down. "Please refrain from doing that ever again."

"Doing what again?" Subaru asked as he entered the living room to see one blushing woman and a chuckling one.

Yukiko jumped at the chance. "Subaru-kun, would you like to read-" She was cut off as the younger woman enclosed her hand on the ex-actress mouth. "It's nothing Subaru-san. Yukiko was just fooling around. " She glared at the woman. "Isn't that right?"

Yukiko nodded, feeling the deep glare. "Y-yes."

Subaru nodded looking between the two before gesturing towards the kitchen. "Lunch?"

Yukiko quickly recovered hopping off to the kitchen first. Subaru waited for the other to begin walking, follow closely behind. "So what was it?"

Eri glanced at the man, slightly blushing. She pushed a loose hair back. "Just something absolutely ludicrous. Yukiko-san thought it'd be funny to tease but well, it's better if you don't read it."

"Why's that?" He questioned as he sat down, Yukiko-san serving their meal and listening in to their conversation.

"Because it has something to do with Eri-chan and..." She spotted the glare the woman gave her. "And a man..." She finished off. "It was just a little joke on the poor girl."

Subaru nodded, still confused but if it had nothing of importance than why should it concern him.

However, Eri acted a bit differently around him, their once close nature had become awkward, to say the least.

' _Oh my, looks like I did create a bit of trouble.'_ Yukiko thought as she watched the woman jump as the man leaned over her, trying to get a view of the paper she was writing. ' _Oh well, looks like they can figure it out.'_ She smiled as she saw the two smiling secretly at each other when one wasn't looking.

...

"I'll come by some other time, I had so much fun!" Yukiko bid the young girl goodbye as she dropped her off at the airport.

Eri smiled. While the older woman was a handful, she had to admit she had some fun. "I'll look forward to the next time we see each other. Now go before you miss your flight and I'm late for my meeting."

Bidding each other goodbye, Eri found herself heading over to a coffee shop to meet with her Editor in order to renew their contract. It was also so that they could just enjoy the day together. It had been a while since they last saw each other, only conversing on the phone or through video chat.

"Amanda!" Eri called her friend over when she saw her enter. Still a beauty at 41, Eri couldn't help but admire the way the woman carried herself.

"Eri sweetie, good to see you. So,... let's talk business first, shall we? "

...

"Hey! Are you serious!?" Mouri yelled at an old man. "You're saying that if we don't locate the sender of the red shirts in that bag, the bombs will be detonated!?"

Eri found herself sighing at the predicament she was in. She was only invited by Ran who wanted to make it up to her. However, the high school student neglected to mention that they were also at the Beika department store to accompany her dad who was offered a case.

"Calm down!" Mouri-san yelled at the surrounding people who began to panic. "If anyone tries to escape this floor before we locate that person, then it'll end with "Boom" and all of us turned into ashes!"

Eri looked around, spotting her dear friend Subaru and finally finding the gaze of the same man she saw at the bank. She held their eyes before smiling and looking away. Not so interested in the case, Eri left the crowd, feeling suffocated. She quickly ventured over to a bench and sat down, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she felt a minor headache coming on.

Eri sighed, looking up from her seat and watching as people panicked and talked to their loved ones. Others were watching as the great detective Mouri-san tried to solve the case. Now bored, the young woman got up to see the deduction begin.

"In the name of the famous detective, Mouri Kogorou... I will not allow him to detonate it!"

"You finally figured it out." Eri stated as she came to stand by the detective's daughter.

"Yeah... an unknown sender and an unknown bomber. The key to solving this case is right there!"

Eri turned to look at the young boy who was hiding from prying eyes before her own eyes drifted towards the famous detective. "Don't you find it strange? Look at the receipts that were sent with the red shirts. You'll notice that they were all sold on a Sunday at 12:29, at the fitness section of this department store. If you want to find the sender, you would only need go to that section at that time and wait in secret for them to come."

' _ah, how does the rest of this go.'_ Eri looked around, trying to recall the events that were to come. ' _If everything goes according to plan then that means that the black syndicate will be outside.'_ By the time Eri came back to her senses, Mouri-san or rather Conan had already announced the identity of the bomber and the sender of the receipts.

"Mai-chan are you Mai-chan? Maruoka-san's daughter?" The old man asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's right! I'm the daughter of Maruoka Daisaku, the one you killed 13 years ago on those snowy mountains! So will you stop adding '-chan' to my name so casually!"

Eri backed in disgust, not because of the young woman but because of the man, and his plans to make the girl feel guilty. She really hated people like that.

"Don't screw with me! My son's been missing since last week! Give me back my son! I did as you told me to right!?"

"You can stop the commotion now old man" Eri couldn't help but interrupt. She knew that she shouldn't but she really couldn't help it. Everyone turned to look at her. "It looks bad for Seta-san because she really had been sending you those red shirts every week and it works in your favor because, if it were not for that letter, you apparently would not have had a reason to cause the commotion with the bombs."

Conan cut in. "That's why you wrote that fake threatening letter- to deepen the guilt of the sender and punish them! However, you aren't aware of the solid evidence that proves you were the one who killed her father..."

Explaining the true meaning behind the red shirts Conan revealed the truth behind a 13-year-old case and allowed everyone to sigh in relief for the bombs were fake.

Both Conan and Ran turned towards the elder detective as he began reading off his phone. "This is what was written in a mail I received a while ago, from someone I don't know..."

Conan turned to look at the woman in surprise. Eri merely shook her head and gestured towards the crowd.

Parting ways, Eri bid goodbye to the detective and his daughter. "I'll see you later then."

She didn't give them a chance to respond and instead left quickly, rushing towards the entrance of the department store. She wanted to catch up to Akai who was on his way to stop Jodie-san from finding the impersonator.

"There you are." Eri turned to find her friend standing behind her. "Why in such a hurry?"

Eri smiled at the man. "No reason at all." She turned to see Conan hiding. " Shall we?"

The man smirked, approaching the kid first. "I see... a gift certificate. I'm not sure if this was the smartest method but seems that the customers' criticism will be even higher now."

Mouri-san and his daughter trailed behind looking at Eri in surprise before looking at the kid. Ran only momentarily looked at the woman. "I ran into him." She quickly said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I had some business at the Teito bank, which is located nearby. As I was leaving, I saw you guys and figured I'd give my greetings, but as soon as I got close the case happened. "

Eri stood in the back smiling slightly at how mysterious Akai tended to be around the young boy.

"Must you always act so mysterious around them?" Eri questioned the man as she pulled him away and headed towards her parked car.

"I don't know what you are talking about."


	9. Chapter 9

The following weeks turned to be a bore. Eri found herself all alone in her apartment with no one to speak with. The kids rarely came by, having their own things to do. The man that lived next door had disappeared for some business he had to attend to and Ran and her father were getting involved with other cases.

Only then did Eri really feel lonely. On some days she wrote, on others, she went out and watched the beautiful scenery. She walked around and watched how others conversed. It was then that she realized that the seasons and months changed without her notice. She never thought about it until now but one moment it could be like they are in October and the next it would be the beginning of March. Strange but the young woman didn't give it much thought.

...

"It's buffet-style so please help yourselves to whatever food or drinks you'd like." Urai Hoshie, wife of the sponsor told Eri as she saw the buffet and found herself meeting with Ran and her father, as well as the kid.

"Eri-san I didn't think we'd find you here." Mouri looked at the young woman.

The strawberry blond smiled. "My editor apparently knows the sponsor and got me an invitation in her stead. Said it was time for me to go out and have some fun."

Her companions laughed before they began conversing about the president's interesting events he does at his parties.

As the night continued, Eri found herself forgetting that she was in a different world, one where she knew most of what was going to happen. That is until the sponsor of the event dropped dead in front of her and her companions.

"The deceased is Urai Taruto-san, 53 years old. He was the president of Urai confections and the sponsor of this party. I heard from the coroner that it was death by poison." Inspector Meguire declared as he tried to get all the details straightened out.

Eri frowned now knowing why she had a bad feeling when she accepted the invitation. Sighing and standing away for the majority of the time, Eri only bothered to listen in to the conversation.

Ran came to stand by the woman. "So what do you think?"

Eri looked at the young girl in surprise. "Why would you bother to ask me that?"

The teenager shrugged. "You're a really smart person and you write murder mysteries for a living. You should have some sort of idea."

"Hmm..." The woman looked at the girl in thought. "I'd have to say that it was his wife." She saw the look on Ran's face and elaborated. "If the president were to kill himself, I don't think he'd do it in front of many people. Who in their right mind would? He could have easily done this before or after."

Ran nodded thinking about her reasoning. "It seems as though your father is about to begin his deduction." Eri pointed out the detective falling to the ground and finally slumping over.

"A strategy devised in order for the murder trick to work! So that Hoshie-san could poison her husband, president Urai!"

Everyone gathered around, now curious as to what the detective had to say.

"Strategy... are you saying that I used you?" Hoshie-san seemed offended.

"Yeah, though the one you really used was my daughter Ran, who I brought with me. After the crime, if my daughter had testified that both of your hands had been occupied with reading her palm and that after the president collapsed he was unable to move... I would believe her over anyone else, and you would be removed from suspicion. Committing the crime during my speech was another part of your strategy. By having me at a distant location such as on the stage, I wouldn't be able to see through your trick."

A bead of sweat was trickling down the woman's face. "So what is this trick? Just what are you saying that I could have done at that time..."

Eri was impressed as always. Impressed how easily solving these crimes came to the young boy. How easily all the pieces seemed to fit perfectly together.

"Everyone at this party is aware of it... that the president loved being showy and would do things such as magic tricks or skits and that he couldn't stand sour things. You proposed this to the president beforehand, right? Saying 'Everyone would be surprised if you ate the super sour spy Choco White without making a face"

The boy's deduction skills were clearly the best she had ever seen. It made the culprit give a full confession.

"Eri-san do you mind accompanying the kids home?" Mouri-san asked the author as they began to depart.

Nodding, the woman drove the kids home, bidding them all a good night.

"Well goodnight you guys." She said as she watched them exit their car. "Oh and Ran... don't cry. I'm sure you're feelings were well received." Eri said before driving off, leaving the poor girl confused for just a few moments.

Driving home, Eri couldn't help but think about how lucky everyone else was to have that special someone. Again she felt lonely. Arriving at an empty house with only her furry friends to greet her, Eri didn't change out of her white colored dress and instead kicked off her heels and headed towards her alcohol cabinet. Pouring herself a glass of Bourbon, she ventured upstairs and sat out on her balcony. She pulled at her pins and allowed her hair to fall in soft waves, looking up at the night sky. Brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her doorbell, Eri wondered who would be at her door so late.

"Subaru-san?"

"Mind if I come in?" The man had a bag with him.

She smiled, opening her door to allow the man to come in. "Why are you dropping by so late?"

They walked towards the balcony she sat on before, sitting down and enjoying the night's chilly air. "It's White day, a lady such as yourself shouldn't be alone tonight."

Eri took a sip of her wine. "What's in the bag?"

Subaru, or now Akai, seeing as how he turned off his voice changer, reached into the bag only to pull out a pint size of vanilla ice cream. "I thought you'd enjoy it." He admitted.

Eri began to giggle at the sight of the man with ice cream in his hand. "Thank you."

...

"Hey! Why is that dog glowing!?"

"It's a demon dog!"

At the current moment, Eri sat with Ran and her father, watching a movie with them that was spoiled by the chibi detective.

"In that case, how about going to exterminate a real demon dog?"

It was then that Eri finally met the teenage detective and Kudo's best friend. "Hattori Heji." Eri called out to the boy after their introductions were done with. "I've heard about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

The dark skinned boy looked at the woman and whistled. "Kudo was right, you are a beauty." He laughed slightly but soon cleared his throat at the stares coming his way. "Well anyway Eri-san, nice to meet you."

And so...

Eri found herself accompanying the detectives to their case. One she couldn't quite remember. It had been so long since she read this part.

"A cursed demon dog, huh..."

"Well looks like Ran and Kazuha aren't coming."

"But wouldn't it have been okay if the old detective came along anyway?"

Conan didn't even bother to look at his friend and instead turned to the female beside him. "He said he can't miss Okino Yoko's daytime drama. But I guess that doesn't matter since Eri-san came along."

Eri smiled as she stirred some more sugar into her coffee. "Don't mind me, I'm only here to watch over you seeing as how you both are still young."

Conan turned away. "Did you hear anything else about the case?"

Explaining the details of the case Hattori-kun and Conan decided to pay the old man a visit only to find the room sealed with tape and the man dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Just as quickly as they rushed in, they found out who murdered the man.

Though quickly the case turned out to be more complicated.

"Eri-san!" Detective Takagi immediately recognized the author. "What are you doing here?"

Eri gestured to the two boys who were conversing with the other detectives and inspector who nodded to her as a greeting. "I came to watch over them but somehow like any other times, I'm just standing here witnessing another case. Although it does come in handy sometimes." She admitted. "The tricks helped me come up with stories for my books."

Takagi smiled. "Are you in the middle of writing the final book for your trilogy?"

"Yes and I've included some new characters, I'm sure you'd love them." Eri and Takagi were interrupted by the inspector clearing his throat. "You should probably go, we can talk later." She smiled before pushing the detective forward so they could continue with their case.

...

Eri bid the others goodbye. Heading home instead of going with the detectives and the girls to see the mystery behind the demon dog. As much as she would love to see the boys at work, Eri had her own work to get to. Some of which she could no longer neglect and had been sitting in the corner of her office for a while now.

Fan mail...

For the past few days, Eri went through her fan mail, only leaving her house to give Asuma a walk around their neighborhood.

"Eri-san? I was wondering if you'd like to go to another country for a book signing?" Her publicist called her later one evening.

"What country?"

...

"So why did she have to come along with us?" The teenager asked, frowning.

Eri simply smiled at the young detective, now in his regular form.

Agasa-san frowned. "She had to come to London anyway, besides Ai-kun doesn't want you to mess up."

Shinichi only sneezed, changing the subject rather easily.

"Hey! Don't act too conspicuous! If Ran-kun and her dad find out we're on the same flight that they are..."

"It's fine! They're in first class! They're not going to come back here..."

Eri only shook her head, turning away to read the bundle of papers her publicist gave to her before her departure.

A while later before arriving at the airport in London, Shinichi turned to the writer sitting beside him. "You didn't seem surprised when you saw me transform into my teenage body."

Eri smiled slightly. "I've known for a while that you are really Kudo Shinichi. It wasn't that hard to figure out. But you don't need to worry about me ratting you out to the Black Syndicate."

"I'm not worried." His words surprised the author.

"Why not?" She couldn't help but look at the boy in curiosity.

"Because you seem to hate them as much as we do. As much as our dear neighbor seems to."

Eri nodded, smiling. "Yes, that's right. All because of _her."_

 _..._

"You're an idiot," Eri told the kid bluntly once she had seen Shinichi in his regular form. "That girl is going to kill us both."

Shinichi ignored her comment, more focused on the case ahead of him.

The author sighed, knowing that there was nothing to do but contact the young scientist back home.

The phone rang multiple times before she heard the bored voice of Haibara. "So did he use them as I thought?"

"Not even a hello," Eri paused imaging the look of irritation on the young scientists face. "Yes, he used it. Will you be sending another pill with someone else seeing as how you didn't trust me with it."

"Yes. You'll find out who it is later," she said before hanging up.

 _'That brat...'_


End file.
